The National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF) and the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession (IILP) are proud to present “Understanding and Assessing the Use of Minority- and Women-Owned Law Firms by Corporate Clients.” The joint report summarizes the findings of a study begun more than three years ago, assessing the use of diverse-owned firms by corporate clients.
“With this study, for the first time, corporate clients can see how they and others are determining when to use diverse-owned firms and the kinds of work they are assigning. The report provides lawyers and diverse-owned firms with a clearer picture of what corporate counsel are looking for, and value, from their outside counsel. It also highlights how clients may be overlooking additional options when seeking to advance diversity in the profession,” said IILP CEO Sandra Yamate.
In 2001, NAMWOLF was established to promote the success of its member firms by effectively vetting them through application of stringent membership criteria intended, among other things, to reassure corporate clients about these firms’ genuine minority- or woman-owned status, their stability, and their ability to bring to bear the necessary resources and skill sets to be able to handle the legal work of major corporate clients without sacrificing the quality corporate clients rightfully demand. Today, minority- and women-owned law firms are an established and respected part of the landscape of law firms available to corporate clients.
“Women- and minority-owned firms have been a great place for women and minorities to practice law at the highest levels while providing unique value to corporations without some of the frustrations of large law firms,” said NAMWOLF CEO Leslie D. Davis. “The long-term viability of law firms owned by women, minorities, openly LGBT people, and people with disabilities will depend on corporate clients’ continued assignment of work to them. It is the hope of NAMWOLF and IILP that this report will play a part in that long-term project.”
NAMWOLF’s Annual Meeting will take place in Chicago, September 18-21. There will be a General Session on September 19 focusing on the biggest takeaways from the report.
NAMWOLF is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association comprised of minority- and women-owned law firms and other interested parties throughout the United States. For additional information, visit https://namwolf.org.
Since 2009, IILP has provided the profession with a unique set of empirical tools to facilitate a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive legal profession that is reflective of the society which it serves. For additional information, visit www.theiilp.com.
