2023 Bright Insight: The 2023 National Legal Sector Benchmark Survey Results

Does your firm have a mandate to improve diversity in the next five years?

Law firms largely recognize both the importance of DEI in their practices and their need for improvement in the area, such is shown in the fact that 78% of all firms surveyed this year have a mandate to improve diversity within the next five years. However, not all firms are equal in their DEI aspirations. Firms on the Global 100 are most cognizant of improving diversity with 92% of them aiming to do so while 83% of firms on the Am Law 200 have mandates in place. Unlisted firms that don’t appear on the Global 100 or Am Law 200 are significantly lagging those who do with only 50% of unlisted firms mandating diversity improvement in the next five years.

% Yes

All Firms - Yes

100%

92%

90%

83%

81%

All Firms - Yes, 78%

80%

60%

50%

40%

20%

0%

Global 100

Am Law 1 - 50 Am Law 51 - 100 Am Law 200 None of the above

Source: Cushman & Wakefield Research

• Diversity in law firms has improved in some areas and worsened in others. Broadly speaking, the legal sector has improved from where it once was but still has plenty of room to improve in the future. Gender is the most diverse area throughout firms; Veteran and disability status are least diverse. • Global 100 and Am Law 200 firms have higher degrees of diversity across DEI categories when compared to all other law firms. Veteran and disability status were new areas of diversity surveyed this year and most law firms indicated no level of meaningful diversity in these areas. • In efforts to improve firm DEI in 2022, respondents focused on three areas—affinity/employee resource groups, mentorship programs, and participation in national diversity organizations. • DEI improvement is expected to continue in the future; 78% of firms surveyed have diversity improvement mandates in place. Improvement mandates are most common in Global 100 firms with 92% of firms surveyed possessing mandates. TAKEAWAYS

THE 2023 NATIONAL LEGAL SECTOR BENCHMARK SURVEY RESULTS | 31