ALM Releases First Ever Legal Department Diversity Survey

This report outlines the results and analysis of the 2022 Corporate Legal Department Diversity Survey

New York, NY – August 17, 2022 – ALM is excited to announce their first ever Legal Department Diversity Survey. Since diversity is such an important part of a corporate culture that breeds innovation, business success and healthier workplaces this survey was created in collaboration with Corporate Counsel to help build an understanding and conversation around diversity efforts in legal departments. 

“Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the legal profession is not a one-way street,“ said Patrick Fuller, Vice President, ALM Intelligence. “The majority of legal departments responding to this survey are undertaking numerous initiatives to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion within their legal department.”

Key Takeaways from the research include:

While 51% of respondents indicated their diversity objectives were “more ambitious” than their broader organization, only 35% indicated their departments were more or much more diverse than their broader organization. The responses highlight the concept of “overplacement,” which is the tendency to inaccurately believe that results rank higher than others in certain contexts, particularly competitive pursuits

While nearly half of the senior legal department leaders were women, less than 25% were ethnic minorities

The percentage of women CLO/GCs (36%) is significantly better than the percentage of Am Law 200 women managing or comanaging partners as of 2022 (14%) 

The percentage of ethnic minority CLO/GCs (37%) and managing attorneys (25%) is drastically better than the percentage of Am Law 200 ethnic minority managing or co-managing partners  as of 2022 (5%)

“While legal departments often take the lead within their organization when it comes to driving diversity internally, data shows that there is still a significant way to go. We hope these insights and annual report will highlight those that are driving change and also shine a spotlight on the need for continued effort in moving the diversity needle,” said Heather Nevitt, Editor-in-Chief, Corporate Counsel.

More than 120 companies opened and engaged in this survey, yet only 42 elected to provide answers to the questions. Several companies, including those who ultimately completed the study and those who did not, requested guarantees of anonymity and de-identification before responding. Several organizations requesting the confidentiality of their responses are known to mandate various diversity billing thresholds and requirements from their outside counsel.

Data and response collection for surveys such as this require collaboration across various teams and stakeholders. We would like to thank everyone who participated for their significant contributions and hard work on this project.

The report can be downloaded for free by going to:https://www.alm.com/intelligence/solutions-we-provide/business-of-law-solutions/analyst-reports/corporate-legal-department-diversity-survey/

About ALM

ALM is the most trusted media, information services, and data company supporting both the practice of and business of professionals in the legal, insurance, commercial real estate and financial services industries. ALM delivers premium content, influential audiences, and high value data essential for growing businesses globally to over 7 million professionals. Please visit alm.com for more information.