Attorneys of Color

Firm failed to honor exit package after retaliating for bias complaint, former BigLaw partner alleges

A former salaried partner at Womble Bond Dickinson has filed a lawsuit alleging that the law firm cut her pay by half and offered her an exit package—which it didn't honor—after she complained about a hostile work environment.

Apr 29, 2025 10:53 AM CDT

Attrition rate is ‘markedly higher’ for associates of color, NALP Foundation says

The attrition rate for associates in law firms was 20% in 2024, up from 18% in 2023 but still lower than the historic high of 26% in 2021, according to the NALP Foundation for Law Career Research and Education.

Apr 29, 2025 9:19 AM CDT

Conservative group sues ABA over Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund program

A group led by a conservative activist has filed a lawsuit alleging that an ABA scholarship program engages in “blatant discrimination” in violation of federal law.

Apr 17, 2025 12:36 PM CDT

BigLaw firm tones down diversity references on website, citing ‘fluctuating internal and external expectations’

Updated: K&L Gates has removed references to “diversity” from its website and rebranded its Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Feb 13, 2025 10:13 AM CST

New Jersey bar can reserve positions for members of underrepresented groups, appeals court says

The New Jersey State Bar Association has a First Amendment right to expressive association that would be violated if forced to change a diversity program for leadership positions, a state appeals court has ruled.

Dec 23, 2024 2:22 PM CST

Dive into our favorite long reads of 2024

The end of the year will hopefully bring you some downtime for leisure reading. We’ve curated a list of some of our favorite web and print long reads from 2024.

Dec 23, 2024 9:35 AM CST

Stalled 3rd Circuit judicial nominee, a Muslim, criticizes ‘performative McCarthyism’ of review process

A Muslim judicial nominee for the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Philadelphia has asserted that the process for picking federal judges is “fundamentally broken” and based on “performative McCarthyism before video cameras.”

Dec 17, 2024 10:27 AM CST

Muslim lawyer can’t sue over revoked BigLaw job offer based on this theory, federal judge rules

A federal judge in Chicago has tossed a promissory estoppel claim in a Muslim lawyer’s lawsuit against Foley & Lardner for revoking her associate job offer after learning of her comments about Israel and Gaza.

Dec 4, 2024 12:23 PM CST

Where have all the lawyers gone? 25% are in these 2 states with higher pay than $176K average

Twenty-five percent of all lawyers live in California and New York, states that include five of the top 10 metropolitan areas for attorney pay.

Nov 19, 2024 11:01 AM CST

Mississippi Senate paid Black lawyer ‘significantly less’ than white colleagues, DOJ suit alleges

A U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit has accused the Mississippi Senate of paying a Black staff lawyer about half the salary of her white colleagues.

Nov 11, 2024 1:57 PM CST

Hazed and abused, some lawyers see bullying as part of job while others leave, new study says

Bullying experienced by lawyers is causing increased turnover and “a talent drain from the profession,” according to a new Illinois survey and study thought “to be one of the first wide-scale research projects” of its kind in the United States.

Oct 2, 2024 12:03 PM CDT

Lawyers play pivotal role fighting tyranny, says incoming ABA President-elect Michelle Behnke

A strong group of attorneys advances and protects the law—and the ABA is and will continue to be the power behind those efforts, ABA President-elect Michelle Behnke said.

Aug 6, 2024 11:43 AM CDT

Sharecropper’s son who rose from poverty to become first Black New Jersey justice dies at 91

Updated: Former New Jersey Supreme Court Justice James H. Coleman Jr. died at age 91 on Aug. 2, rising from his childhood in a home without electricity and running water to become the first Black justice appointed to the state supreme court.

Aug 5, 2024 10:18 AM CDT

Duane Morris bestows partner title on powerless attorneys to shift tax and business costs, suit alleges

Duane Morris reduces business expenses and tax obligations for equity partners by shifting some of the burdens to lawyers who carry the partner title but have no equity or power in the law firm, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday.

Aug 1, 2024 10:55 AM CDT

Firm failed to honor exit package after retaliating for bias complaint, former BigLaw partner alleges

Attrition rate is ‘markedly higher’ for associates of color, NALP Foundation says

Conservative group sues ABA over Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund program

BigLaw firm tones down diversity references on website, citing ‘fluctuating internal and external expectations’

Top news stories of 2024

New Jersey bar can reserve positions for members of underrepresented groups, appeals court says

Dive into our favorite long reads of 2024

Stalled 3rd Circuit judicial nominee, a Muslim, criticizes ‘performative McCarthyism’ of review process

Muslim lawyer can’t sue over revoked BigLaw job offer based on this theory, federal judge rules

Where have all the lawyers gone? 25% are in these 2 states with higher pay than $176K average

Mississippi Senate paid Black lawyer ‘significantly less’ than white colleagues, DOJ suit alleges

Hazed and abused, some lawyers see bullying as part of job while others leave, new study says

Lawyers play pivotal role fighting tyranny, says incoming ABA President-elect Michelle Behnke

Sharecropper’s son who rose from poverty to become first Black New Jersey justice dies at 91

Duane Morris bestows partner title on powerless attorneys to shift tax and business costs, suit alleges

Topics: Career & Practice

Racial disparities in admissions, scholarships remain in law schools, AccessLex Institute study says

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