I. Introduction
In today’s world where every law firm claims to value diversity throughout
their ranks and prioritize it as a top concern in recruiting, it is easy to
forget that even in the 1960s, Secretary of Labor Willard Wirtz called the
American legal profession “the worst segregated group in the whole
economy.” [1] According to a 2003 American Bar Association study,
slightly more than 89% of all lawyers in the nation are white. The
overall numbers of women and minorities at the associate level are improving
substantially, but the odds of making partner stay low. [2] Lawyers of
color account for less than 5% of partners in all of the largest American law
firms, according to the National Association for Law Placement. [3] White
males have five times better odds than women of making partner, and seven times
better than Asian-Americans or African-Americans. [4] Minority-owned firms
provide a greater … Read the rest