Creating a diverse law firm takes the right outlook and right moves

Lawyers' Forum

By Shelley L. Whitehead

Shelley L. Whitehead is a former practicing attorney and is the owner of LegalBee, a legal recruiting company that supports law firms that need to scale their practices by hiring freelance attorneys to handle overflow work on an as-needed basis or a permanent placement to grow their team. Whitehead can be reached at shelley@hirelegalbee.com.

Posted January 25, 2018 12:16 PM

The lack of diversity in the legal profession has been a hot-button topic for decades now and the industry has recently seen small gains. The National Association of Legal Placement’s 2016 Report on Diversity in U.S. Law Firms reported that the representation of minority associates has continued to increase (from 19.53 percent to 22.72 percent) since 2010 following widespread layoffs in 2009.In 2016, minorities accounted for 8.05 percent of partners in the nation’s major firms. However, minority women continue …

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