http://abovethelaw.com/2015/12/minorities-in-the-legal-profession-have-increased-by-less-than-one-percent-since-2000/
Still Want to Sign on the Dotted Line?: On December 4, 2015, ATL posted an entry from second year law student Renwei Chung. His contribution was labeled “Minorities In The Legal Profession Have Increased By Less Than One Percent Since 2000.” From his opening:
“In 2010, 88.1 percent of lawyers were white. In 2000, 88.8 percent of lawyers were white. These percentages were taken from the U.S. Census Bureau reports for 2010 and 2000, respectively. In other words, minorities in the legal profession have increased by less than 1 percent since 2000.
Over this same time period, minority enrollment in the J.D. programs of ABA-approved law schools increased by 6,752 students, or 1.8 percent (from 20.6 percent in 2000-2001 to 22.4 percent in 2009-2010). What do you predict the percentages of white and minority lawyers will be in 2020?
As I have previously noted, according to the National Jurist, overall law school enrollment dropped 15 percent from 2011 to 2013, but it has not been consistent among races. Asian students had the largest drop in law school enrollment – 16 percent. White enrollment dropped 14.8 percent, black law students fell 1.6 percent, and Hispanic enrollment held steady. It would be interesting to discover why there is such a large variance in the change in enrollment.
For a better diagnosis of future diversity in legal areas such as Biglaw, it may be practical to track the shifting demographics among the top 14 law schools and other traditional Biglaw feeder schools. The specific change in demographics among these top-tier schools is likely to be the biggest indicator of potential diversity in Biglaw.
How will the change in the law school population affect the legal industry? I have already noted how diversity among Biglaw partners doesn’t reflect law school diversity. Since the late 1980s, the percentage of minority law school graduates has more than doubled (going from 10 percent to 23 percent), yet 92 to 94 percent of current Biglaw partners are white.” [Emphasis mine]
Attending ABA-accredited dung heaps such as Villanova, the University of Mississippi, CreighTTTon, New Mexico, or Seattle certainly is not going to help you land Biglaw. Yet, you will still be charged ridiculous sums of tuition – in your pursuit of joining the GLUTTED “legal profession.” Why take the plunge?
http://www.jdjournal.com/2015/12/08/how-minorities-can-select-the-best-law-school-for-them/
Other Coverage: On December 8, 2015, JD Journal published an Amanda Griffin article that was entitled “How Minorities Can Select the Best Law School for Their Future.” Check out the following portion:
"The reports and studies are not new. Even though the legal market is improving, finding jobs can still be challenging. This rings especially true for minorities. The National Association for Law Placement reported in November that the number of African-American associates at major law firms has declined every year since 2009.
African Americans now make up only 3.95 percent of the number of associates at major U.S. law firms. Minority women are especially rare, making up only 2.6 percent of associates in 2015. Hispanic associates have increased slightly to comprise 4.3 percent and Asians make up 11 percent.
With numbers as small as these, minorities considering law school need to make sure they are selecting a school that gives them the best chances of success after law school. Minority students should look for a law school with an infrastructure that supports students such as with mentoring. Law schools that offer more practical courses in the areas of compliance, intellectual property, transactional, and litigation have the students’ best interests at heart." [Emphasis mine]
The author is correct in noting that minority law students should focus on practical courses. However, the suggestion regarding mentoring is a sad joke. Do you think these money pits will invest any meaningful time, energy or money into helping out their also-ran pupils?!?! As those who have gone through this waste of three years can attest, the pigs devote their energy to helping those in the top ten percent of the class find employment. At best, the commodes will offer a TTT program to assist students with legal writing and how to answer exam essay questions.
Conclusion: In the final analysis, Biglaw wants associates who reflect their wealthy clients’ backgrounds and views. They are not going to start actively recruiting minority law grads from weak-ass schools – with the exception of Howard University Sewer of Law. If you are attending a stink pit, with the hope of landing a good paying legal job after law school, then you are sadly mistaken.
With regard to the “profession” overall, if you are a minority or someone of modest means – and you did not graduate from a top 10 law school – then you are realistically looking at the following options: selling insurance premiums; working in toiletlaw, where you will make peanuts while working long hours representing scum; or going back to your previous employment or industry. Hell, you may even have the “opportunity” of returning to your childhood bedroom – as a broke-ass, debt-riddled 31 year old attorney. Who wouldn’t want to take this terrible bet?