Over the last several weeks, the nation has been engaged in a conversation about race, focusing on the unique challenges faced by Black Americans. Law firms have not been isolated from that conversation. Although law firms have dedicated efforts over recent years to recruit and retain attorneys that are diverse in race, sex, and gender identity, the general consensus is that law firm partnerships do not always reflect the diversity of Americans.

According to the 2019 Vault/MCCA Law Firm Diversity Study, 81.69% of lawyers in law firms are white or Caucasian. The numbers are even less representative at the partnership levels, where 89% of partners are white, less than 24% are women, 2% are Black, less than 3% are Hispanic or Latinxs, less than 4% are Asian American, and less than 2% are openly LGBTQ+.