The hot market for lateral hires saw the number of lawyers switching between AmLaw 200 firms more than double between 2001 and 2009. However, new research co-authored by Georgetown McDonough School of Business professor Christopher Rider, Stanford Business School professor Adina Sterling and University of Washington’s Foster School of Business professor David Tan has questioned whether the trend might carry implications for law firm diversity, given the role of pre-existing social and professional networks in facilitating the lateral market.

Going it alone

Tracking the outcomes of 1,400 lawyers from six law firms that failed between 2008 and 2009, the study uncovered a statistically significant difference in the re-employment pathways of black lawyers and their white colleagues. ‘Our analyses revealed that black lawyers who regained employment were less likely to move with former co-workers than were white lawyers,’ says the report. Moreover, the disparity seems to fall overwhelmingly on black lawyers lower down on the law firm career ladder. ‘This disadvantage is almost entirely concentrated in associate lawyers; there does not appear to be any difference between white and black partners,’ it adds.

The study calls for further research into how law firms can improve mentoring opportunities for lawyers from backgrounds historically underrepresented in the US legal profession

Source: BigLaw Business