On 12 January 2022 the National Association of Law Placement released its annual Report on Diversity in US Law Firms. The report announced significant gains in the diversity of new entrants into the legal profession in 2021.
Summer associates showed the highest level of diversity amongst all groups of lawyers, with people of colour growing by almost 5%, the largest increase in 29 years of NALP data . Women made up more than half of all summer associates for the fourth year in a row. Additionally, the proportion of LGBTQ summer associates increased to 8.41%, the highest representation ever measured by NALP.
However, the data shows that these groups are still underrepresented at partner and other associate levels, especially women of colour, who account for less than 5% of partners across firms nationally.