(l-r) Elizabeth Castillo, Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy; Roland Tellis, Baron & Budd; Diandra "Fu" Debrosse Zimmermann, DiCello Levitt; and Ruth Rizkalla, Carlson Law Firm. Courtesy photos Meet the Diverse 'New Faces and Voices' in Multidistrict Litigation
In multidistrict litigation dockets created in 2022, about 13% of plaintiffs lawyers appointed to leadership posts were not white, according to Law.com's exclusive data. That's down from the 16% in 2021, and 14% in 2020, but up from 2016 to 2019, when white attorneys dominated with 95% of appointments.
June 20, 2023 at 05:04 AM
9 minute read
What You Need to Know
- A new academic report found that 53% of lawyers in multidistrict litigation leadership only received one appointment, showing a 'deep bench of lawyers' in the field.
- Federal judges have become more active, and vocal, about diversifying potential leadership teams for plaintiffs in MDLs.
- Of the top 11 attorneys who got two or more appointments to 2022 MDLs, four were attorneys of color.
When Elizabeth Castillo joined Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy in 2012, her first court hearing in a multidistrict litigation docket over auto parts had nearly 140 lawyers in the room—and the majority were old, white men.
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