In the history of legal journalism, few headlines were more stunning than the banner that ran above The National Law Journal’s first survey of blacks at large law firms: “3,700 Partners. 12 Are Black.”
Much has happened since that headline ran in July 1979 (next to a story on the emergence of a “quaint” specialty called international trade law). The nation emerged from the “malaise” that President Jimmy Carter lamented that month. The Iranian hostages were captured and released. Lapels narrowed. But one thing that changed disappointingly little was the scarcity of black partners in elite legal practice. Over 35 years, the representation of African-Americans at the top 50 law partnerships crawled up from 0.3 percent to 1.9 percent. An updated headline would read: “14,000 Partners. 265 Are Black.”
