STATISTICS ABOUT BLACK WOMEN LAWYERS

Our organization was founded as a direct response to a call to action by the American Bar Association. In their 2020 article titled, “Majority of minority female lawyers consider leaving law; ABA study explains why,” the ABA reported several findings about female minority lawyers including the following:

70% of female minority lawyers report leaving or considering leaving the legal profession, according to an ABA report on the challenges that they face.

Women of color have the highest rate of attrition from law firms as they continue to face firm cultures where their e orts and contribution are neither su ciently recognized or rewarded.

Only 2% of equity partners at large law firms are women of color, a statistic that has stayed the same for 20 years.

Out of the 103 participants in the study, nearly all of them reported experiences with bias and stereotyping, with one woman noting that “It means that I have to keep proving myself to clients, peers, superiors, subordinates, event after each success.

Study participants reported microaggression and microinequities as well as frustration at the lack of awareness about the existence of bias and stereotyping.

The article concluded, with a call to action, “we ask that this study not be read and then put on a shelf to be picked up five years from now and ‘surprisingly’ discover nothing has changed.” The ABA made several recommendations including improving access to e ective, engaged mentors; adopting best practices for reducing bias in decision-making; incorporating an intersectional approach to the addressing diversity and gender; and creating a more inclusive culture in the legal profession. SDCBWLA was created to answer the American Bar Association’s call to action with an Organization that implements the recommendations found in the article.

Source: “Majority of minority female lawyers consider leaving law; ABA study explains why” (abajournal.com)