It has long been a truth acknowledged by the legal community that substantial work needs to be done to further diversity and inclusion in U.S. law firms, especially in the Philadelphia area. The National Association for Law Placement, Inc.’s (NALP) recently issued 2018 Report on Diversity in U.S. Law Firms was a mix of good and bad news. NALP reported lower than average percentages of women partners, minority partners, women minority partners, minority associates and women minority associates in Philadelphia law firms as compared to the national average. For example, at the 11 law firm offices in Philadelphia that responded, only 1.90 percent of the partners were minority women compared to 3.19 percent nationally. In responding Philadelphia law firms women associates compose 50 percent of the associate base, however, which exceeds the national average of 45.91 percent. With these new, updated statistics on hand, the question must be asked: how do we make things better?

As reported in The Legal Intelligencer on Jan. 29, over 170 general counsel and corporate officers recently signed an open letter to law firms bemoaning the fact that new partner classes “remain largely male and largely white.”  Yet another wake-up call to management and senior partners to take swift, meaningful action. But associates can play an important supporting role in this effort, too.

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