Diversity

Littler Mendelson Tops Ranking for Female Lawyers

Littler Mendelson is ranked No. 1 in a new study for having the greatest percentage of female lawyers and partners. Women make up 43.9 percent of the firm’s lawyers and 29 percent of its partners, according to the results. Overall, women made up 34 percent of the lawyers at the…

Jun 3, 2009 1:21 PM CDT

Allowing Our Differences to Unite Us

ABA helps to break down racial, sexual and disability barriers in the legal profession

Jun 2, 2009 4:00 AM CDT

Sotomayor’s Nomination: Today’s News

ABAJournal.com: “Sotomayor was Mature, Well-Liked, Listened to Others, Yale Classmates Say” Daily Kos: “Why I Oppose Sotomayor” Dallas Morning News: “Cornyn doesn’t rule out filibuster of Supreme Court nominee Sotomayor” The Hill: “Sessions: Sotomayor vote by recess doubtful” Latina: “National Council of La Raza the Latino KKK? “ Los Angeles…

Jun 1, 2009 10:43 PM CDT

Debt-Free J.D. Degree from NYU is Funded By Texas Law Firm

Thanks to a Texas law firm, two new graduates of New York University School of Law getting ready to start public interest jobs don’t have to worry about dealing with a crushing educational debt load. The 45-attorney Bickel & Brewer litigation boutique in Dallas paid for Thomas Fritzsche and classmate…

May 29, 2009 8:17 PM CDT

High-Profile Ex-Staff Attorney’s Lawsuit Against Covington & Burling Is Dismissed

A discrimination suit filed earlier this year by a high-profile former staff attorney against Covington & Burling and five current or former lawyers there has been dismissed. In a order (PDF) filed today, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton of the District of Columbia dismisses the case without prejudice for want…

May 29, 2009 7:34 PM CDT

Sotomayor Made Shaw Pittman Apologize for Partner’s Questions

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor forced a Washington, D.C., law firm to apologize for a partner’s questions during a recruiting dinner in her third year at Yale Law School. Sotomayor challenged questions about her Puerto Rican heritage posed by a partner at the firm then known as Shaw, Pittman,…

May 27, 2009 11:40 AM CDT

Switch from Nancy Drew to Perry Mason Laid Path for Sotomayor

A diagnosis of diabetes for a young Sonia Sotomayor changed the direction of her life. As a girl, Sotomayor loved Nancy Drew mysteries and wanted to be a police detective, the New York Times reports. But a doctor told her that would be a difficult career for someone with diabetes.…

May 15, 2009 1:44 PM CDT

What Gender Gap? Many Women Lawyers w/ Kids Do as Well as Men, Researcher Says

It may not be whether women lawyers have children but how much they focus on their families that accounts for a widely reported gender gap between the salaries and partnership prospects of male and female attorneys at many law firms. A study of data concerning graduates of the University of…

May 13, 2009 12:14 AM CDT

Who Will Replace Souter? Today’s News

Associated Press: “Obama to talk court nomination with Senate leaders” Boston Globe: “In replacing Souter, Obama should look beyond courthouse” Fortune: “What will Souter’s retirement mean for business?” Los Angeles Times: “Two roads to the Supreme Court” The Stump (Oregonian): “Predictability should trump political leanings as Obama evaluates Supreme Court…

May 12, 2009 10:54 PM CDT

Wilson Sonsini Gets Top Spot on Diversity Scorecard

A diversity survey by the Minority Law Journal has found the increase in minority lawyers at the nation’s top 250 law firms is slowing, and the economy may be a factor. In 2008, the percentage of minority lawyers at firms responding to the survey was 13.9 percent, up from 13.4…

May 6, 2009 11:58 AM CDT

Lost in Translation

The United States may be a vast melting pot of cultures, races and ethnicities, but that doesn’t mean that lawyers have an easy time getting translation services, especially if they are in need of a translator who speaks something other than Spanish. So what’s a lawyer to do if a…

Apr 2, 2009 1:40 AM CDT

Covington Returns Yolanda Young Fire, Says Ex-Staff Lawyer Had Lackluster GPA

Sued last month by a former staff attorney who claimed Covington & Burling maintained its staff attorney ranks as a ghetto for minority attorneys, the law firm didn’t hesitate to fire back earlier when Yolanda Young apparently made similar charges in an administrative complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity…

Mar 27, 2009 6:21 PM CDT

Lawyers in ‘Sister Buddy Group’ Mourn Shooting Death of Holland & Knight Secretary

Sophia Nelson, who worked as a lawyer at Holland & Knight, is joining with other black attorneys and professionals in a new support group to discuss the kinds of personal issues that are rarely topics of conversation. Many black women are taught from youth to be strong and hide problems…

Mar 2, 2009 3:47 PM CST

Skadden, Not Retirement, Is Next Career Path for Judith Kaye

New York’s former chief judge, Judith Kaye, will join Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. The New York Times City Room blog calls Kaye’s decision to join the firm in an of counsel role “a coup” for Skadden. She will work on public interest matters at the law firm, including…

Feb 17, 2009 4:47 PM CST

Obama’s Milestone Cited Throughout Bar Diversity Awards Program

The presentation of Spirit of Excellence Awards recognizing the efforts of lawyers to advance diversity in the profession has been a highlight of ABA midyear meetings ever since they were introduced in 1996. But this year’s awards luncheon had a special glow to it. The reason? Barack Obama. Obama’s election…

Feb 14, 2009 10:31 PM CST