Project 3: Diversity and inclusion in Law by Andrew Luk

Challenges of inclusion and Diversity in law firms?

al1651_ — 2023-11-09 18:45:45 UTC

There is a lack of diversity and inclusion being prominent throughout law firms. The number of minorities being presented in the data for employment is minimal. The APA "American Bar Association" states that "four percent identified as Hispanic and Latino, and four percent of active attorneys identified as Black or African Americans". These statistics are evident of the underrepresentation in law firms.

Mentoring

al1651_ — 2023-11-11 00:32:29 UTC

A crucial role in law firms is mentoring. Mentoring allows younger associates who graduated from law school to work under more older and experienced associates. These bonds help push the path to understanding the legal world. Also, they form connections which are a necessity in law firms. Mentoring also allows older lawyers to understand and help younger ones with cases by providing insight to help them. Mentoring is difficult for minorities because they're little partners or older associates who are minorities. A key factor for fresh associates to find a mentor is based on whether their beliefs match with each other.

Racial judgement

al1651_ — 2023-11-11 01:04:20 UTC

A big reason for the minuscule numbers of minorities in law firms is due to Racial judgment. Law firms have different expectations of certain groups due to race. As stated in the APA, "Asian Americans, for example, are often perceived as having hard working skills, but lack soft skills". These racial judgments put high expectations on minority groups that are already facing struggles trying to enter the legal world. Not only is this present in firms but also in law schools. These pressures are a key variable for the minimal number of minorities in the legal world.

Struggles for minorities to find mentors

al1651_ — 2023-11-11 01:23:35 UTC

A reason for the struggle for minorities to find a mentor in a law firm is racial judgment. As stated, Asian Americans have a persona of having soft skills which hinders their ability to communicate and to reach out to potential mentors. But cultural norms are also crucial as Asians are "foreign, and socially awkward". These norms might discourage mentors from taking them under their wing.

Connections

al1651_ — 2023-11-11 01:36:32 UTC

connections with other lawyers can be developed by social class. Richer and well-off families have more connections with other lawyers who are willing to be their mentors. But minorities that come from less wealthy families and have no connections are threading through a hurricane just for mentors to give them a chance. The social class creates an uneven playing field for lawyers to find a mentor. Also as stated in a Duke law school paper, "Blacks are more likely to take a corporate job as compared to their white counterpart". Using these statistics, why are we creating a blockade for minorities that passionate about pursuing a carrier in this field instead of hiring people who aren't passionate but only doing this due to their family?

Hiring process

al1651_ — 2023-11-18 21:07:14 UTC

The racial judgment aspects hurt many minorities while applying for these Big law firms. Many hire on instinct but it also connects with racism. As clearly seen in some instances, Asians are seen as hard workers but they lack people skills which could hinder a company from hiring them. These stereotypes hurt minorities that have pour their soul and money just trying to achieve this job.

Is it justifiable for these law firms to make this kind of thought?

al1651_ — 2023-11-18 21:19:47 UTC

It's justifiable in the instinct that the majority of these workers and the associates who are hiring these minorities are one race. But from the outside of the firm, these thoughts are utterly unacceptable. The thought that these comments are made about certain people due to race already backs the theories of racism and the little knowledge these associates have of other races.

The admission of minorities in Law schools

al1651_ — 2023-11-18 21:28:50 UTC

In any entry into the legal world, many students need to go to law school. But the cold reality is that many big law firms are only higher than the top 15. These institutions only accept students with nearly 4.0, and perfect LSAT scores. But minorities don't attend these law schools due to financial reasoning.

Debt

al1651_ — 2023-11-18 21:35:14 UTC

Law school is already expensive. The average cost of law schools in 2023 for a top 15 is around 65k to 69k a year. Many first-year associates at top law firms make a little more than the cost of one year of debt. But minorities who did attend and have this heavy weight of debt on them while applying for these top jobs have little chance of actually getting in, especially with minorities. As seen from the other point, especially the racial judgment it's difficult for minorities to obtain a first-year associate job at big law.

U.S news ranking

al1651_ — 2023-11-18 21:37:37 UTC

The U.S. news ranking inflates the prestige of these top 15 law schools ultimately creating less diverse applicants. As many probably have the same stats and goals. This lead to many big law schools, like yale and Harvard to back away from these rankings.

LSAT

al1651_ — 2023-11-18 21:42:50 UTC

LSAT is a test that many students who are pursuing a JD can take or do the GRE instead for law school admission. But this test is variable for the minuscule number of application of minorities applying. The average cost of prep is 800-1200$ which is financially difficult for many minorities that are not well off. This creates an unbalanced playing field for a spot at a prestige law school. In a scenario were an Asian kid does do well on the LSAT it contributes to the racial stereotype of good grades but no people skills. A double edge knife that you do well you get in a good school, but the cost is your aren't any different from the others based on the stereotype.