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Law firms' ongoing initiatives to address diversity challenges have driven another year of progress, with the representation of minority attorneys continuing to improve across the board, albeit at a slower pace than in previous years. Here's our data dive into minority representation at law firms in 2023.
Attorneys of color now represent 27.6% of nonpartners at law firms, a new high-water mark for the industry. But progress has lagged higher up. Here's a more detailed look at the representation of minority attorneys at the associate and partner levels.
Data from Law360 Pulse's law firm survey reveals that while firms are continuing to diversify their attorney ranks, progress has slowed. Just 15.6% of firms top the benchmarks for the 2024 Diversity Snapshot ranking — a lower percentage than last year. Here’s the latest look at how diversity in law firms' headcounts compares with what it could be based on the potential marketplace of new hires.
Law360’s law firm survey shows that firms' efforts to diversify their equity partner ranks are lagging. But some have embraced a broader talent pool at the equity partner level. Here are the ones that stood out.
Have initiatives and programs to address work-life balance reached the equity partnership, or is it still the exception in the legal industry?
Saxton & Stump has beefed up its criminal defense group this week with the addition of a former assistant U.S. attorney to the firm's Philadelphia office.
Many lawyers of color say they are included in their law firm's client pitches but are not assigned to the resulting work, pointing to some firms' "window dressing" approach to diversity and inclusion, according to a report reviewed by Law360 Pulse that will be released publicly on Tuesday.
U.S. law firms have been working to reduce the amount of office space allocated per attorney. Despite these efforts, a recent report by the real estate services company Savills Inc. found that the average square footage per attorney still remains higher than the occupancy ratios most firms aim for.
A former Nurick Law Group LLC client said the court shouldn't reverse its decision to keep his malpractice suit against the firm in the Garden State after the discovery of a crucial document, arguing the firm's founder testified the document is not a valid agreement.
A Pennsylvania federal judge gave an earful to an attorney representing a Drexel University administrator suing the school for disability discrimination after the case was dismissed without prejudice over the attorney's missed deadlines.
Merger talks between Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP and Locke Lord LLP are progressing, with the deal on track for a late summer partner vote and a hoped-for year-end closure, according to sources close to the deal who spoke to Law360 Pulse on the condition of anonymity.
Law360 is pleased to announce the Rising Stars of 2024, our list of 158 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age.
After a slower first quarter, lateral recruitment at law firms appeared to find more solid footing in the second quarter, with both associate and counsel hires showing signs of recovery from the previous quarter, according to recent data provided by legal data company Firm Prospects LLC.
Drugmaker AbbVie has set its sights on the U.S. Supreme Court, asking justices to weigh in on a discovery battle over what it believes are privileged attorney-client communications relating to a "sham" Pennsylvania patent case.
Parsons Behle's work on a Salt Lake City renewable energy project and Schwabe Williamson's challenge to a federal mining permit lead this edition of Law360 Pulse's Spotlight On Mid-Law Work, recapping the top matters for Mid-Law firms from June 22 to July 12.
A familiar name joined Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney's commercial litigation team this week when a former Clark Hill PLC attorney moved his practice to the Pittsburgh office.
The legal industry had another action-packed week as attorneys took on new roles and law firms reshaped practices following the holiday. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.
Funding for legal technology companies totaled $2.422 billion in the first half of 2024, nearly matching the $2.443 billion in capital raised during the same period in 2023, a positive sign for the sector after years of declining investments.
Robert Dinerstein, chair of the American Bar Association's Commission on Disability Rights, joined Law360 Pulse for an in-depth conversation about the organization's #BeCounted campaign
A federal judge ruled in favor of a lawyer who alleges that aircraft companies and attorneys with Blank Rome LLP brought a baseless lawsuit against her in retaliation for switching from corporate defense to the plaintiffs bar, denying a motion to dismiss and allowing her lawsuit to continue.
Veteran Pennsylvania attorney and litigator Gabriel Vincent Tese says he fulfilled a lifelong dream last month when he left Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC to start a cyber and technology law boutique with a New York partner who earned her law degree last year.
Most district attorneys and the prosecutors in their offices take great pride in their work, but nearly 60% have recently considered leaving for better paying and less stressful jobs elsewhere, according to a new survey by the National District Attorneys Association that calls for "systemic changes" to stave off a potential exodus.
The arrival of artificial intelligence in the legal profession means new use cases and obligations, but a few lawyers are still trying to trust this new technology, a panel of experts said Thursday.
A Philadelphia-based attorney has missed so many deadlines in a federal race bias lawsuit against a Penn State University branch campus that the senior circuit judge assigned to his case issued sanctions and a stern warning that a large caseload is no excuse on Thursday.
PCS Retirement has found a general counsel in The Vanguard Group's former head of operational risk and controls, saying Wednesday that it is building its executive ranks "to address the significant risks of information security and legal liability in the retirement industry."
Black Americans make up a disproportionate percentage of the incarcerated population but are underrepresented among elected prosecutors, so the legal community — from law schools to prosecutor offices — must commit to addressing these disappointing demographics, says Erika Gilliam-Booker at the National Black Prosecutors Association.
Series
Ask A Mentor: How Can Associates Deal With Overload?Young lawyers overwhelmed with a crushing workload must tackle the problem on two fronts — learning how to say no, and understanding how to break down projects into manageable parts, says Jay Harrington at Harrington Communications.
Law firms could combine industrial organizational psychology and machine learning to study prospective hires' analytical thinking, stress response and similar attributes — which could lead to recruiting from a more diverse candidate pool, say Ali Shahidi and Bess Sully at Sheppard Mullin.
Series
Ask A Mentor: How Can Associates Seek More Assignments?In the first installment of Law360 Pulse's career advice guest column, Meela Gill at Weil offers insights on how associates can ask for meaningful work opportunities at their firms without sounding like they are begging.
In order to improve access to justice for those who cannot afford a lawyer, states should consider regulatory innovations, such as allowing new forms of law firm ownership and permitting nonlawyers to provide certain legal services, says Patricia Lee Refo, president of the American Bar Association.
Guest Feature
5 Ways Firms Can Avoid Female Atty Exodus During PandemicThe pandemic's disproportionate impact on women presents law firms with a unique opportunity to devise innovative policies that will address the increasing home life demands female lawyers face and help retain them long after COVID-19 is over, say Roberta Liebenberg at Fine Kaplan and Stephanie Scharf at Scharf Banks.
With law schools forgoing traditional grading due to the pandemic, hiring firms that have heavily weighted first-year grades during the on-campus interview process should turn to metrics that allow a more holistic view of a candidate, says Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.