1. NYC Bar Diversity Benchmarking Research & Better Practices
Elizabeth Donoghue
Duke Law Judicial Studies Center
June 21-22, 2018

2. 2016 Diversity benchmarking report
Among all partners:
18.6% women
16.0% Caucasian women
1.4% Asian/Pacific Islander women
0.6% and 0.4% Black and Hispanic women
White men: 77% of all equity partners at signatory firms
Black/African American, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander women make up only 2.3% of all equity partners
Turnover rate for income partners was 6.6%, almost double the 3.4% rate of equity partners

3. 2016 Diversity benchmarking report
Of all leadership positions
Management Committee members, practice group heads, and Firm Chair
3% Asian/Pacific Islander attorneys
2% Hispanic attorneys
2% Black/African American attorneys
1% Multi-racial attorneys

4. 2016 Diversity benchmarking report
*By the eighth year, only 20.5% of associates were minorities

5. Better practices

6. Better Practices: Institutional strategies
Institutional strategies to identify & mitigate biases
Attorney Development: help associates fully understand what is required to succeed & advocate for them; fair allocation of work assignments (billable hours & visibility)
Client Access/Relationships: create opportunity for associates to engage w/ clients; increase their ability to build book of business
Firm Culture: foster an environment where cultures/viewpoints are valued and timely, prescriptive feedback is encouraged; regular training on implicit bias for all members of firm
For the first time in 2015, we collected better practices to provide more information on what specific initiatives law firms implemented to enhance diversity and highlighted practices in the following three categories: attorney development, client access/relationships & firm culture.

7. Attorney Development
targeted business development and leadership training on communication styles, emotional quotient (EQ), leadership presence, and strategic career planning; 72%
engaging practice group leaders in monitoring work allocation; 74%
providing opportunity to expand practice area expertise; 70%
intentional pairing of partners and associates, where a partner is responsible for the associate’s development; 48%
developing multi-year action plans for diverse associates; 49%
providing associates with executive coaches. 56%
The 2015 report provided better practices generally, but in 2016 we will report out the percentage of survey respondents have implemented them (all practices are backed by data in the respective areas e.g. promotion to partner, voluntary attrition, overall representation)
Adapted from New York City Bar 2015 Benchmarking Report and Managing Partners Toolkit & Attorney Toolkit

8. Client Access & Firm Culture
Client Access/Relationships
assessing client team composition and product on the firm’s most significant matters; 66%
initiatives to strengthen relationships with clients; 86%
efforts to enhance gender diversity on corporate boards. 30%
Bias Training & Firm Culture
training partners to understand and interrupt implicit bias and develop objective evaluation and feedback methods; 73%
implementing bias neutralization trainings for minority attorneys; 31%
monitoring exit interviews of departing associates. 84%
Adapted from New York City Bar 2015 Benchmarking Report and Managing Partners Toolkit & Attorney Toolkit

9. Better Practices: Attorney Development
NYC Bar Associate Leadership Institute
Develop a formula for success through disciplined career development;
Honing communication style to be impactful and influential;
Deliberate and strategic relationship building;
Cultivating qualities to be a trusted advisor and add value for colleagues and clients;
Demystify business development process;
Raise profile inside & outside of firm beyond work product;
Accountability through regular meetings & tracking progress.
The 2015 report provided better practices generally, but in 2016 we will report out the percentage of survey respondents have implemented them (all practices are backed by data in the respective areas e.g. promotion to partner, voluntary attrition, overall representation)

10. Better Practices: Attorney Development
In pre-program feedback, participants ranked their skill level in each category below a 2.7 out of 5.
In the post-program feedback, participants ranked their skill level at the following:
Executive presence & communication: 4-5 (60% of resp. 5)
Solicit and use feedback: 3-5 (60% of resp. 4)
Understand mentor & sponsor relationships: 4-5 (60% of resp. 5)
Leverage network to achieve career goals: 4-5 (60% resp. 4)
Development of career plan: 4-5 (80% of resp. 4)
Additional feedback:
80% have taken steps to leverage network & strategic relationships
60% have sought out mentors; 40% have sought out sponsors
100% have begun to develop business development plan; 80% have begun to develop career plan
100% have taken steps toward strengthening visibility within & outside of firm
The 2015 report provided better practices generally, but in 2016 we will report out the percentage of survey respondents have implemented them (all practices are backed by data in the respective areas e.g. promotion to partner, voluntary attrition, overall representation)

11. Contact Gabrielle Lyse Brown
Executive Director, Diversity and Inclusion
New York City Bar Association
Website:
LinkedIn: Office for Diversity and Inclusion