The National Association for Law Placement’s (NALP) diversity report was recently released and Bloomberg Law’s columnist Vivia Chen discussed the findings in her column “Unfiltered.” Chen’s column, titled “Black Law Firm Partners Made Paltry Gains in 2021,” featured commentary from Carlton Fields Connecticut Shareholder Rob Simpson who is actively involved with the National Bar Association, the oldest national organization of Black lawyers.
I’m naturally optimistic but I’m also a realist. When it comes to crises, DEI efforts take a back seat, and the group that loses is Black lawyers. We saw it during the recession and the pandemic. In light of George Floyd, one might expect to see greater increases across the board.
This is the golden era for increasing diversity. Law firms now have the opportunity to recruit lawyers from everywhere. They can’t say that there are no Black lawyers in their area because they can recruit from all over the U.S. There’s interest in DEI and Black lawyers but that window is closing. The moment hasn’t passed but it is passing.
READ: Bloomberg Law “Black Law Firm Partners Made Paltry Gains in 2021”
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