In a milestone development in the legal field, women now constitute over 50% of law firm associates, marking a first in the 32-year history observed by the National Association of Law Placement (NALP). According to a recent report by the NALP, the progress has been gradually taking shape over the last five years, with women accounting for nearly 46% of associates in 2018.
In 2023, nearly 40% of all attorneys at firms were women, which is the highest ratio the NALP has recorded to date. However, NALP’s Executive Director, Nikia Gray, expressed that there remains work to be done to improve these results further. The report, which was based on surveys of 812 U.S. law offices, revealed that while the most diverse workforces in three decades are now featured in firms, their advancement in terms of diversity, equity, and inclusion is described as “excruciatingly slow”.
Associates of color constituted over 30% of 2023’s associate classes at firms. This is an increase by 1.8 percentage points compared to the previous year, and the largest annual increase NALP has recorded for the group so far. However, attrition rates remain high, particularly for underrepresented groups such as women and lawyers of color. As the report stated, despite ongoing gains at the associate level, the number of women of color in partner positions is still less than 5%, a statistic deemed as “abysmally low” by the NALP. This is largely due to the significant underrepresentation of both women and people of color at the senior levels within the firm.
In the words of Michael Gerstenzang, the managing partner of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, success in DEI matters has to focus on recruitment, development, and promotion into senior roles. He shared his concerns about the backlash on DEI initiatives after affirmative action was rejected by the Supreme Court in June 2023, causing a fear of less diverse law schools as a result. Moreover, some firms have faced potential legal actions and lawsuits over their DEI programs. Regardless, law firms are expected to continue focusing on promoting diversity in their ranks.
Concluding on a note emphasizing the urgent requirement of equitable growth, Nikia Gray highlighted that the promotion environment needs to be equitable for all associates and that women, especially, need more support throughout their careers to ascend to partnership levels.