Each fall the Law Journal takes stock of the many associates who have joined the bar or changed firms in the preceding year. It’s safe to say that there are even more of them than those contained in these pages—especially in an active market for lateral hiring. We can’t capture them all, but we believe this yearbook provides a good sample.

A review of the associates reveals what appears to be some promising signs of diversity within the bar—not only racial and ethnic diversity, but diversity of background, education and practice area. Of course, there’s room for improvement, in New Jersey and beyond. The issue of diversity is in the foreground because it is important; it’s a quality that’s essential to any bar.