GROUND-BREAKING RESEARCH PROJECT TO ANSWER THE QUESTION:
WHERE ARE THE WOMEN LAWYERS OF COLOR?

CHICAGO, March 8, 2005  - Why are so few women lawyers of color in law firms?  Where do they go when they leave their law firms?  What best practices have law firms developed to attract, retain and advance women lawyers of color?  These are just a few of the questions that will be explored in a first-of-its-kind research project being conducted by the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession.

Startling research in the late 1990s, by the National Association for Law Placement Foundation, suggested that virtually all women lawyers of color working in private practice left their positions at major law firms within eight years.  A more recent study found that from 1998 to 2003 nearly two-thirds (64.4 percent) of minority females left law firms within 55 months of being hired. There are virtually no other statistics about women lawyers of color.

While the legal profession is more racially and ethnically diverse than ever before, and research has been conducted on issues related to women lawyers and lawyers of color, there has been no comprehensive study specifically about women lawyers of color. 

“Women lawyers shattered the glass ceiling years ago, but women lawyers of color --attempting to climb into leadership positions -- often find themselves on the bottom rung, with no helping hands extended to pull them past the barriers to their advancement,” said ABA President Robert J. Grey Jr. “While the culture of many law firms makes it tough for women lawyers and minority lawyers to ascend to the highest leadership ranks, women of color in the profession experience the double bind of race and gender.”

The research initiative will gather and analyze the experiences of women lawyers of color, focusing particularly on those who have worked in law firms, to better understand the bases for their employment decisions and to identify the “best practices” used by legal employers -- and by women lawyers of color -- to enhance their success.

The goal of the initiative is to help law firms recruit and retain women of color, enriching the workplace with varied perspectives and a commitment to fair play.  By studying the career movements of such women, the commission hopes to help the profession understand the consequences of racism, bigotry and discrimination. 

The research initiative findings will be released in August 2005 followed by a full report in the fall.  Also included will be recommendations, model initiatives and strategies, and “best practices” for legal employers as well as women lawyers of color.

The ABA Commission on Women in the Profession was created by the association in 1987 to secure the full and equal participation of women in the ABA, the legal profession and the justice system.  The 12-member commission is composed of lawyers and judges from around the country, and includes representatives from private practice, the judiciary, academia and corporations.  The commission develops programs, policies and publications to advance and assist women lawyers, and educates the profession about work/family issues that affect all lawyers.

With more than 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law in a democratic society.

Editor’s Note:  Reporters are invited to attend for free a reception honoring ABA President Robert J. Grey Jr. and Catherine Lamboley, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Shell Oil Company, on Wednesday, March 23, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at The Plaza Club, 1 Shell Plaza, 910 Louisiana Street, 49th Floor in Houston. Proceeds from the event will be used to fund the Women of Color Initiative.  For more information on the reception, contact Deborah Bohr, 713/ 241-2980.

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