Measuring DEI - What It Means to Go Beyond the Numbers

Law firms are no longer solely measuring their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts by the number of women or lawyers of color that are partners. They are now introducing new benchmarks that are being applied to the diversity in hiring processes, talent pipelines, speed of promotion, evaluations, management behavior, as well as firm culture. 

Esther Lim, Finnegan partner and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer told the Washington Lawyer that, “As a profession, we’ve come a long way in terms of diversity. When I started in the legal profession over 25 years ago, diversity was not a topic that was discussed at firms. DEI was not a coined term. However, we still have so much further to go.”

She added, “Diverse attorneys are woefully underrepresented, especially in partnership and in leadership. Our profession must take a hard look at the challenges confronting diverse attorneys, engage in honest conversations, and change processes and systems to achieve a fair and equitable playing field.”

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