A recent survey conducted by Leopard Solutions in partnership with Above the Law, provides valuable insights into the biases encountered by diverse attorneys in top American corporate law firms, otherwise known as Biglaw. The survey, which garnered 643 unique responses, specifically sought lawyers from underrepresented groups and found that over 60% have experienced bias in the workplace.
The bias reported was both racial and gender-based with 66% of female respondents and 58% of men reporting bias. Impressively, 67% of Black or African American attorneys reported racial bias, with Asian/Asian Americans at 62% and Hispanic or Latinx attorneys at 59%. A substantial portion of the survey’s participants were associates, with 29% being partners.
One startling revelation from the survey was a practice referred to as “window dressing”. This occurs when diverse attorneys are included in client meetings exclusively for pitches but never assigned to the work that follows. Essentially, their presence is used to win over clients that value diversity, but their contribution to the actual work post-pitch is marginalized.
Approximately a third of respondents (32%) confirmed having had such an experience. Among these respondents, Black-identifying attorneys experienced this at an unpresented rate (39%), six percentage points higher than the average. Unfortunately, as disappointing as these findings may seem, this very phenomenon of “window dressing” is not new to the legal industry.
While the survey paints a somber picture, there were some positives. Notably, 29% of survey-takers reported that client pressure sometimes results in more diverse assignments. However, some respondents disclosed that certain firms managed to circumvent such client requests, hence limiting the potential strides towards diversity. A detailed analysis of the survey’s findings will be explored in a webinar on June 6. Legal professionals interested in these insights can register for the webinar here.
This survey illustrates the uphill battle that attorneys from underrepresented groups face in Biglaw and serves as a call to action for these firms to provide environments that truly value diversity.
For the full details of the survey, visit the original publication here.