When U.S. District Judge Edward Davila of the Northern District of California appointed 39 lawyers this month to lead multidistrict litigation over the alleged throttling of iPhones, he and the plaintiffs attorneys each praised the team’s diversity, particularly since many of the top women in mass torts would be spearheading committees.

But still, 77 percent of the lawyers appointed were men, including the top two lead counsel positions, and only one minority attorney appeared to be on the team.