BigLaw makes diversity gains; which firms did best?

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BigLaw makes diversity gains; which firms…

Diversity BigLaw makes diversity gains; which firms did best?

By Debra Cassens Weiss

June 1, 2022, 4:01 pm CDT

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Diversity gains among larger law firms this year were the largest since 2001, according to the American Lawyer’s 2022 Diversity Scorecard.

The total percentage of minority lawyers was 20.2%, up from 18.5% last year, Law.com reports. The percentage of minority partners was 11.9%, up from 10.9% in 2021.

The percentage of Black lawyers was 3.9% overall and 2.3% among partners. The percentage of Asian American lawyers was 8% overall and 4.4% among partners. The percentage of Hispanic lawyers was 5% overall and 3.3% among partners.

The American Lawyer changed its ranking methodology this year after complaints that firms with zero representation of certain minority groups still received top marks, Law.com reports in another story. Now, a zero representation in any ethnic category will affect a firm’s score.

The methodology was also changed to include questions about the diversity of executive committees, office leaders and practice heads.

The firms with the best diversity scores were:

Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy

White & Case

Kasowitz Benson Torres

Munger, Tolles & Olson

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton

Hanson Bridgett

Morrison & Foerster

Baker McKenzie

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr

Berry Appleman & Leiden

The full ranking is available here. The lowest scores are the best.

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