The Legal Diversity Initiative
Based on current projections, there will not be gender parity in terms of equity partners until 2181.
The American Lawyer, 2015
We are a group of concerned professionals who want change.
For over 25 years, the proportion of men and women graduating from top US law schools has been the same.
But women today represent less than 25% of the equity partners of the top US law firms.
And these women partners are paid on average significantly less than that received by their male counterparts; found to be 40 to 50% less compensation under some surveys.
In many law firms, the top paid partners are almost all male and the total portion of profits that are allocated to women is below 20% of their firm’s profits.
Unless BigLaw starts taking meaningful steps to correct this inequality, generations of female lawyers will not be paid or promoted on an equal basis.