Numbers show that law firms are not retaining women and minorities

Law firms have gotten better about recruiting minority and women attorneys, but still struggle retaining them, according to the latest data compiled by a Web-based career resource company and the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. The statistics show continued, albeit slow, increases in diversity at the nation's largest law firms, but also suggest that law firm successes in the area of recruitment surpass those in retention. Overall numbers for minority and women attorneys continue to show gradual improvement. For example, minority lawyers made up 21.35 percent of the associate population in 2008, up from 20.76 percent in 2007, while women accounted for 45.70 percent of all associates, compared to 44.68 percent in the previous year. Although both minorities and women remain under-represented at higher levels, they have made some gains within the partnership ranks. Attorneys of color represented 6.05 percent of equity partners in 2008 -- an increase from 5.62 percent in 2007. The number of women equity partners, meanwhile, inched up from 16.03 percent in 2007 to 16.43 percent in 2008. Law firm data also offer some encouragement when it comes to the hiring of diverse attorneys: 27.18 percent of the 2008 summer associate class were minorities, while 44.58 percent were women. Of new associate and partner hires in 2008, 21.54 percent were minority lawyers and 40.27 percent were women. Although law firms have made some strides in the area of recruitment, they have had comparatively more difficulty retaining diverse lawyers, especially lawyers of color. While minorities represent just 21.35 percent of the total associate population, 24.08 percent of associates who left their respective law firms in 2008 were attorneys of color. Attrition for minority attorneys is especially high at the junior level: nearly 30 percent of first- and second-year associates who left their firms last year were minority men and women. The rate of attrition of white women at junior and mid-levels did drop slightly in 2008, although attrition among women in senior ranks increased. Because the survey solicits statistics as of calendar year end, a fuller picture of the impact of the current recession will not emerge until 2009 statistics become available in the next few months. Published: Mon, Jan 4, 2010

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