Women in the legal profession

Slow Changes for Women, Recommendations and Uptick in In-House and Higher Ed Hiring

The report, conducted by Law360, finds that although women make up more than half of law school students, women represent just 36.3 % of attorneys at firms, and of those, 45.5 % are non-partners. Among partners, women represent only 24.5 % of the group and account for just 21.5 % of the equity partners.

For women of color, the gap is even more pronounced. Although women of color make up almost 1/5 of law students, Law360s report indicates they represent just 8.5 % of private practice attorneys and 3 % of equity partners. There is no change in numbers from the same time last year.

The report offers their recommendations:

Firm leadership should make diversity and parity a strategic goal and incorporate it all their decision making Firm leadership needs to better calculate an employee’s value to a firm with an emphasis based on efficiency and quality rather than just numbers of hours billed More mentoring and advocates for women

More programs to support mothers, such as flexible schedules, more options for returning to a firm after a prolonged absence, and more support for new parents In-house counsel should be demanding diverse teams.

More women in positions of leadership, both as an example for younger women and because statistics reveal that firms where women are managers have overall higher numbers of women partners

Women in the legal profession

The Best Law Firms for Women Attorneys

Littler Mendelson PC has 63.6% female non-partners, 34.1% female partners and 29.6% female equity partners

Littler Mendelson PC has 63.6% female non-partners, 34.1% female partners and 29.6% female equity partners

The 3 firms of Walsworth-WFBM LLP, Brundo Testan Novell & Jimenez and Culhane Meadows PLLC, with 50 to 149 attorneys, have already met or exceeded the 50% female equity partner mark.

Race & Diversity

Diversity Hires Continue to Lag at Firms

A recent annual report by Law360 shows only incremental progress advancing diversity at U.S. law firms despite their efforts.

The report that surveyed 300 law firms reveals just over 16% of attorneys and about 9% of partners, equity or non-equity. The representation of minority attorneys increased by less than a percentage point since the last report was published.

By contrast, law students of color who are matriculating at and graduating from U.S. law schools is growing steadily as 30% of all U.S. law school graduates. Some elite law schools have reported incoming classes with more than 40% of students identifying as a person of color.

For the first time, the survey included questions to law firms about the data about LGBT attorneys and attorneys with self-reported disabilities. Most firms reported that they do not keep data on LGBT attorneys.

While law firms provided detailed racial and ethnic diversity data, nearly 40% told us they do not compile similar data on attorneys with disabilities.

Race & Diversity

The Best Firms For Minority Equity Partners

Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy has the most diversity among firms with 300 to 599 attorneys, with 23.5% equity partners of color. The firm was also named first in its class size for female attorneys and female partners in Law360’s 2019 Glass Ceiling Report.

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC is the biggest firm with the most diverse equity partners, 20.4% of its equity rank are attorneys of color

Morrison & Foerster LLP, which is in second place again among the big firms was 17.3% of equity partners of color

Technology Trends

Artificial Intelligence in the Legal Field

As machines become better at imitating human intelligence, they’re beginning to do more and more thinking for us.

A legal tech startup challenged a group of 20 experienced lawyers to test their skills against its AI-powered algorithm. The task was to review risks contained in several non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). The AI achieved an accuracy level of 94% while human lawyers managed an average of 85%.

The AI was also faster, taking just 26 seconds to review all of the documents compared to the human lawyers’ average speed of 92 minutes.

23% of legal work can be automated. There will be many tasks, however, that are beyond the current capabilities of AI.

Global business value derived from AI is forecast to be $1.2 trillion in 2018, and $3.9 trillion in 2022.

Rate of Automation

Technology Trends

Legal Bots and Access to Justice

Legal Industry in Last Place in AI, Machine Learning Adoption, Survey Finds

Over the past decade, the number of people qualifying for assistance has increased approximately 25%.

28% of Americans - 89.3 million people - qualified for LSC (Legal Services Corporation)-funded services at some point during 2016.

Only 2% - 1.8 million people - received LSC (Legal Services Corporation)-funded services during 2016.

Technology Trends

Legal Disruptors

The legal industry is morphing into a diverse, global, tech-enabled industry

5 Tech Disruptions in the Legal Field

1 - Digital documentsDigitizing documents and storing them via the cloud gives lawyers access to information in a few simple clicks while enabling remote document access via mobile phone and tablet devices. Using other cloud-based applications enables teams to share screens and edit documents in real time, encouraging collaboration and saving time.

2 - Data processingMaximizing the collection and processing of data identifies new areas of business and tailors law firms’ services to specific clients. Data analysis technology makes it possible to quickly recognize patterns and relationships that a human analyst would miss. The legal analytics market was valued at $450 million in 2017 and projected to grow to $1.9 billion by 2022.

3 - ChatbotsChatbots provide an ideal opportunity for legal firms to attract customers online. When hosted on a website, they offer Q&A facilities to potential clients, allowing them to make inquiries about services and better understand their specific legal needs. Artificially intelligent chatbots free up human operators and provide potential clients with round the clock customer service.

4 - Flexible workingDigitizing documents and storing them via the cloud gives lawyers access to information in a few simple clicks while enabling remote document access via mobile phone and tablet devices. Using other cloud-based applications enables teams to share screens and edit documents in real time, encouraging collaboration and saving time.

Technology Trends

Cybersecurity

Recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that 1 out of 5 professionals work from a location outside of the office. Law firms are expected to widely adopt a remote workforce in 2019, through both “virtual firms” in which all lawyers work remotely and evolving policies at traditional law firms of all sizes. In the past the legal industry has been slow to embrace the trend due to compliance issues, heavy regulation and concerns over client data protection, however, with the steady rollout of new technologies, improved security capabilities and wider connectivity, this has changed the pace.

Here are a few tips for accommodating a mobile legal workforce:

1 - Make It OfficialEstablish a clear policy that is consistently implemented and communicated to employees. Remote benefits are also considerably more effective in attracting new hires. Nearly 75 % of millennials say a “work-from-home” or “work remotely” policy is important and 69 % say a physical presence in the office on a regular basis is unnecessary according to The Deloitte Global Millennial Survey 2019.

2 - Make It OfficialTechnology and security advances mean employees can work from nearly any computer or device and remain safely under the purview of IT and compliance standards. Cloud software is also crucial in enabling remote teams to leverage legal databases. It is essential to encrypt sensitive client information, control where it is stored and monitor who can access it is key for compliance with privacy regulations such as HIPAA and GDPR as well as ethics and professional responsibility requirements.

Technology Trends

Remote Work Is Trending: How to Make It Work at Your Law Firm

The legal industry is morphing into a diverse, global, tech-enabled industry

5 Tech Disruptions in the Legal Field

1 - Digital documentsDigitizing documents and storing them via the cloud gives lawyers access to information in a few simple clicks while enabling remote document access via mobile phone and tablet devices. Using other cloud-based applications enables teams to share screens and edit documents in real time, encouraging collaboration and saving time.

2 - Data processingMaximizing the collection and processing of data identifies new areas of business and tailors law firms’ services to specific clients. Data analysis technology makes it possible to quickly recognize patterns and relationships that a human analyst would miss. The legal analytics market was valued at $450 million in 2017 and projected to grow to $1.9 billion by 2022.

3 - ChatbotsChatbots provide an ideal opportunity for legal firms to attract customers online. When hosted on a website, they offer Q&A facilities to potential clients, allowing them to make inquiries about services and better understand their specific legal needs. Artificially intelligent chatbots free up human operators and provide potential clients with round the clock customer service.