It's no secret that law firms have had an—often rude—awakening to the importance of authentically prioritizing diversity, equity and inclusion in their organizations and approach to legal services. In the nearly two years since the murder of George Floyd, a broader racial reckoning within the legal industry has spurred many of the country's top law firms to become more vocal about their commitments to meaningfully centering DEI.

For many firms, this has involved launching new diversity-oriented initiatives and hiring diversity professionals to drive change and address the industry's dismal diversity record. The number of minority attorneys in the country's top law firms is just 18.5%, and that's up from 17.8% in 2020, according to the 2021 American Lawyer Diversity Scorecard. Meanwhile, the number of minority partners sits at just 10.9%, a 0.6% increase from 2020.