SAN FRANCISCO – California’s legal profession doesn’t reflect the diversity of the state, a new study by the State Bar shows.
The study found that nearly 70% of licensed attorneys are white, even though people of color represent 60% of California’s population.
“Latinos are particularly underrepresented in California’s legal profession, accounting for a mere seven percent of active attorneys,” a release issued on the State Bar's website said. And while "the proportion of new attorneys who are Asian or multiracial has more than tripled" over the last 30 years, “the proportion of new attorneys who are Black has remained stagnant.”
Ona Alston Dosunmu, CEO and executive director of the California Lawyers Association, called the numbers “dismal.” She also said her organization is grateful to the State Bar study for illuminating the scope of the problem.
“You can’t fix what you don’t see,” Dosunmu told the Northern California Record. "We are committed to increasing diversity and inclusion in the profession, including with projects to increase the pipeline of diverse students who want to become attorneys and judges.”
“The State Bar has committed to concrete objectives to help the profession move toward greater diversity and inclusion, and developing this annual Report Card is among them,” Donna S. Hershkowitz, the State Bar's interim executive director, said in the release. “By creating a snapshot in time based on the most inclusive data available, we provide a tool for accountability for ourselves and a stimulus for others to take action.”
Additionally, women, people of color, people with disabilities and members of the LGBTQIA community "consistently report lower levels of satisfaction with workplace experiences, such as salary and opportunities for advancement and career development, than their white male counterparts,” the release revealed.
The study also includes calls to action for employers and attorneys on how to improve inclusion and diversity.