At one time, data showed that every Black woman who began employment at a law firm was gone within five years. Things are better now — but not by a lot, and certainly not enough. Two recently released studies shed light on the experiences of Women of Color at the two extremes of their legal experience — at the senior level and in law school. In between, we present the first person observations of an African-American woman associate in a BigLaw firm.

Double Bind of Race and Gender Examined in New ABA Report

The American Bar Association released a new report examining the ongoing challenges of women of color in the profession. Entitled “ Left Out and Left Behind: The Hurdles, Hassles, and Heartaches of Achieving Long-Term Legal Careers for Women of Color ,” the study concentrates on the experiences of women of color who have practiced law for over 20 years. Sadly, as stated by the authors, “the paucity of women of color from whom we could draw for this … study was palpable.”

According to a recent NALP Foundation study, although all student groups express high degrees of satisfaction with their law school educations, African-American women are the least satisfied and the group most likely to consider withdrawing. Less than 50% of all Women of Color rate race relations at their schools as positive.

Thanks to K&L Gates for sharing this video of NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson discussing the history of racism and its impact on our society today. This is part of a series of Conversations on Race presented by K&L Gates in the wake of the killing of George Floyd.

Wednesday, August 5 | 12-2 p.m. EDT

This interactive program will explore realistic workplace situations and contemplate the issues, viewpoints, and ethical principals at play. Learn more and register.