It’s a lingering suspicion on the mind of diversity, equity and inclusion advocates everywhere. Despite both recent gains and long-term trends suggesting diversity within the legal field is improving, feelings of stalled progress are common among lawyers pushing for better approaches to DE&I. Some experts say those sentiments aren’t entirely off-the-mark, either.

“Unfortunately, there are a lot of the same challenges that have been in existence during the past 25-plus years,” Minority Corporate Counsel Association Board Chair Wanji Walcott, also the chief legal officer at Discover Financial Services, said in a recent interview.