what it means to be a black lawyer today

Black lawyers are grossly underrepresented and underappreciated in the legal profession and are still more likely to be affected by bias – both conscious and unconscious – throughout their careers. Our panel will discuss the existing strategies and approaches that firms and corporations can use to make the profession more diverse and inclusive.

Full Answer

Why do we need more black attorneys?

Experts maintain that because of a shared group identity, a black attorney can more easily communicate with and gain the trust of a black client, but black client outcomes demonstrate a more compelling reason for why more black attorneys are needed.

How many black lawyers are there in America?

According to the American Bar Association, 88% of all lawyers are white and only 4.8% are black, so for each of the 60,864 black lawyers, there are 686 black citizens needing assistance (compared with only 282 white citizens for each of the 1,117,118 white lawyers).

Are lawyers biased against black people in bankruptcy?

In the study, Race, Attorney Influence, and Bankruptcy Chapter Choice, researchers found that even after controlling for financial, demographic and other factors, lawyers, in part because of biases, were disproportionately steering black people into Chapter 13 (the more onerous and costly form of consumer bankruptcy).

How many black attorneys are there in Ferguson?

At the time of Brown’s killing in August, the number of black attorneys in Ferguson was zero, according to the Missouri bar, which listed only four white attorneys for the city’s 14,000 black residents, who were issued 92% of the city’s warrants and received 95% of two-day or more jail sentences.

Why are Black lawyers important?

Another key reason why Black lawyers matter is because their perspective provides critical insights on how we, collectively, as a profession, can find equitable solutions to three of the most complex challenges the legal industry is facing and that have a disproportionate impact on Black individuals entering the field.

What percentage of lawyers is black?

5%Just 5% of all lawyers are Black, the same percentage as 10 years ago, while 13.4% of the U.S. population is Black.

What race has the most lawyers?

whiteEven more sobering are the statistics regarding racial diversity. 85% of lawyers are white, compared to 77% of the U.S. population. Only 5% of lawyers are African American, 5% are Hispanic, and 3% are Asian.

What school graduates the most black lawyers?

Harvard Law SchoolHarvard Law School (HLS), which has graduated more black lawyers than any other law school apart from Howard University School of Law, experienced a 4.5% drop in black 1L enrollment from 2013 (10.4%) to 2016 (5.9%).

What percent of lawyers are LGBT?

Representation among partners and other lawyers, such as counsel and non-traditional track/staff attorneys, was essentially flat, with the percentage of LGBT partners dropping slightly from 2.11% in 2018 to 2.07% in 2019 and the percentage for other lawyers also falling just a bit from 2.37% in 2018 to 2.32% in 2019.

What percentage of law school graduates are Black?

Black students represented the largest decrease. In 2018, Black students made up 7.91% of total incoming law students, but in 2019, they accounted for 7.57% of incoming law students. This drop caused the overall percentage of Black students in law school to decrease from 8.11% to 7.94%.

Who is the youngest lawyer?

Stephen Baccus akaStephen Baccus aka the “boy genius” started studying law when he was only 14 years old. He finished his law degree within two and a half years which made him a graduate of Bachelor of Laws at the age of 16.

What percentage of Americans are black?

13.4%United States / Black populationIn 2020, the Black or African American alone population (41.1 million) accounted for 12.4% of all people living in the United States, compared with 38.9 million and 12.6% in 2010.

What percent of lawyers are female?

Nearly Half of Practicing Lawyers in Canada Are WomenRegion0-5 Years PracticingOverall PercentageAlberta48.8%40.3%British Columbia50.6%40.8%Manitoba47.9%38.1%New Brunswick56.7%41.5%9 more rows•Dec 15, 2021

What is the average LSAT score for black students?

142The average LSAT score for black test takers is 142, while the average for white and Asian test takers is 153. Nearly half of black law school applicants (49 percent) were not admitted to a single law school.

What percentage of law students are black females?

Black Men May Have Stemmed the Tide Since that time black men have narrowed the gap with black women. Five years ago black women made up 64.3 percent of all African-American enrollments at the nation's 50 highest-ranked law schools compared to 61.7 percent today.

Are there any black law schools?

There are a relative few historically Black law schools. In fact, there are just seven historically Black law schools, six of which are accredited by the American Bar Association. With the exception of Howard university, the other historically Black law schools have been established within the last 60 years.

What percentage of attorneys are black females?

The percentage of Black associates surpassed 5% in 2020 for the first time since the NALP began collecting data. The share of associates who are Black women increased to 3.04%, finally exceeding the 2009 figure of 2.93%.

How many black partners are in a law firm?

Black associates increased by 0.1% to 5.22% overall, well behind Latinx (6.1%) and Asian (12.5%) associates. Black partners increased by 0.5% to 2.22% overall, only breaking the 2% mark for the first time in 2020. Latinx partners represented 2.86%, while Asians represented 4.3%.

What percentage of Americans are black?

13.4%United States / Black populationIn 2020, the Black or African American alone population (41.1 million) accounted for 12.4% of all people living in the United States, compared with 38.9 million and 12.6% in 2010.

What percent of the population are lawyers?

According to the American Bar Association there are currently 1,116,967 lawyers practicing in the United States. That is approximately one for every 300 people, or approximately 0.36% of the total population. These statistics relate only to those currently practicing and maintaining their licenses.

What happens when black students are admitted to law school?

Moreover, once black students are admitted, on top of undergoing the already extraordinary challenge of law school, they often discover that few of their peers share or understand their experience, which risks leading to a harmful isolation and therein potentially impacting performance and future prospects. And beyond graduation, as the lead story ...

Do black lawyers have success?

And beyond graduation, as the lead story notes, black lawyers are not achieving success at rates comparable with the size of the black bar—whether its earning partnership or high positions of authority—while many opt to leave the profession at disproportionally high rates.

Is there a pipeline to law school?

There is a pipeline that leads to law school, through law school, and to a successful career in the legal profession. The future health of the black bar depends on law schools’ ability to enable black law students to not only locate the schools but also make it out the other side.

Do law schools need to make a positive case for black law students?

In the wake of the global financial crisis, and in light of the negative press paid to very real instances of law school debt and bleak warnings about career satisfaction, law schools need to make a positive case for potential black law students to apply.

About the Program

Against the backdrop of a global pandemic and economic meltdown, familiar tragedies have brought us again to another moment of outrage and protest. But there is something different this time.

Session One: The Foundation

Over the course of their distinguished careers, former ABA presidents Dennis Archer, Paulette Brown and Robert Grey, Jr. have advocated for the change so many now seek and have helped create a foundation of racial equity upon which the profession can now build.

Guest Speaker

Judy Perry Martinez President, American Bar Association, 2019-2020 Of Counsel, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn Vice-President and Chief Compliance Officer, Northrop Grumman Corporation 2011-2015

Moderator

Joseph K. West Partner and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Duane Morris LLP President & CEO, Minority Corporate Counsel Association, 2011-2015

Session Two: The Focus

As our society increasingly becomes aware of the historic inequities that continue to impact people of color generally and Black Americans in particular, the legal profession is likewise coming to terms with this reality.

Speakers

John O. Gaidoo Assistant General Counsel Cummins Inc. Michele Coleman Mayes Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary The New York Public Library Benjamin F. Wilson Chairman Beveridge & Diamond, P.C.

Guest Speaker

Matthew A. Taylor Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Duane Morris LLP

What was the effect of Ferguson's jaywalking stop?

By disproportionately targeting African Americans and routinely violating their constitutional rights, Ferguson created the predatory environment in which a jaywalking stop by police officer Darren Wilson could escalate to Brown’s death.

What is the evidence of racial discrimination in jury selection?

The study found evidence that some state and local prosecutors were actually trained to exclude people on the basis of race and instructed on how to conceal their racial bias.

Who decides whether to plead or proceed to trial?

Consider the role of prosecutors, who, without objective criteria, decide what the charges will be. They alone decide whether to offer a plea bargain or proceed to trial. They are usually allowed to exercise this power with impunity and outside of public view, but in the last year, the curtain has been pulled back.

What does it mean when you get cut from legal aid?

Legal aid cuts mean that defendants appearing unrepresented by lawyers happens frequently, so even when they are entitled to a lawyer, seeing a defendant without one no longer seems as unacceptable to the court system as it used to be. Mental health services are also woefully underfunded and undervalued in the CJS.

Why are black people overrepresented in the CJS?

Black people are overrepresented in the CJS. One reason for this is the overuse of stop and search. Around 3.3 per cent of the population are from Black/Black-British backgrounds. However, in 2018, 22 per cent of stop and searches were conducted on Black suspects.

Who is Fariha Karim?

Her case caught the attention of Fariha Karim, a Times journalist, and Kirsty Brimelow QC. Ms Dinou was arrested and charged after being found ‘loitering’ at Newcastle train station. She spent two nights in custody before being produced at court.

Who is Abimbola Johnson?

Abimbola Johnson is a criminal defence and professional regulatory barrister at 25 Bedford Row. She was the 2018 Diversity Legal Rising Star Winner; and a 2018 Black British Business Award finalist. She is also a co-host of The Manifesto Read Podcast.

Why can't minority lawyers afford to help people?

Then there is the issue of the justice gap. Because minority lawyers make less and have more debt, they cannot afford to help the people they likely went to law school to serve.

What is the most effective tool for a black woman to fight systematic racism and oppression?

U.S. history has taught black women that the most effective tool to fight systematic racism and oppression is the law . Through landmark legal victories like Brown vs. Board of Education, Loving vs. Virginia, and the Civil Rights Act of 1965, black people have been able to use the law to slowly gain access to the rights and privileges guaranteed to all men under our Constitution. The legal system gives black people a way to hold America accountable for its declaration in 1776 that: