The legal profession may reach gender parity by 2026, the 2024 ABA Profile of the Legal Profession predicts.
The report has dubbed the years 2016 – 2026 as the “Decade of the Female Lawyer” and predicted that the legal profession will soon shift to a female majority.
Its reasoning? Women first outnumbered men in law school enrollment in 2016 and as federal government lawyers in 2020. And in 2023, for the first time, women comprised the majority of law firm associates.
The annual ABA Profile of the Legal Profession compiles statistics and trends about lawyers, judges, and law students from authoritative sources within the ABA, courts, government agencies, and nonprofit groups.
The 2024 report includes data on lawyer demographics, wages, judicial representation, legal education, and women in the profession.
More women entering the profession
Women make up 41% of all lawyers in 2024, up 5% from 2014. Illinois slightly trails the national average, with women making up almost 39% of lawyers.
While males still account for 59% of U.S. lawyers, the report said current trends suggest the number of female lawyers will continue to rise.
Nationally, women currently account for 56% of law students, 52% of federal government lawyers, and 50% of law firm associates, according to the ABA Profile of the Legal Profession.
The report also predicts that women, who currently make up 49.2% of law school faculty, will likely become the majority in 2024 or 2025.
The report said that generational turnover — more male lawyers retiring and more female lawyers entering the profession — has contributed to the increased presence of female lawyers in the profession.
Women in leadership roles
It may take time before the growth of women in the profession translates into their increased representation in law firm partnership roles.
Just 28% of law firm partners were women in 2023, rising only 8% in the 10 years since 2013, according to the National Association for Law Placement (NALP).
Women are also underrepresented in law firm leadership roles. According to a survey from the National Association of Women Lawyers, only 12% of women are managing partners, 28% are members of governance committees, and 27% are practice group leaders.
Potentially contributing to the lack of women in leadership and partnership roles is the way they are treated.
In a study of more than 6,000 lawyers initiated by the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, bullying in the legal profession was found to disproportionately impact women lawyers and inhibit their retention.
In the study, 38% of female lawyers reported being bullied compared to 15% of male lawyers and 28% of female lawyers said they had left a legal job due to bullying compared to 10% of male lawyers.
More highlights from the 2024 ABA Profile of the Legal Profession
In addition to focusing on gender diversity, the report details an increase in racial diversity in the legal profession.
The ABA National Lawyer Population Survey reported that the number of lawyers of color nearly doubled over the last decade, with lawyers of color representing 23% of all lawyers in 2024, up from 12% in 2014.
Asian American, Hispanic, and multiracial lawyers saw the biggest increases, while the number of Black and Native American lawyers stayed about the same.
The report partially attributes the increase, especially in Asian American and Hispanic lawyers, to California’s decision to begin reporting race and ethnicity data.
The ABA National Lawyer Population Survey also included several details about Illinois and Midwestern lawyers:
- Illinois ranks fifth in the U.S. for the total number of lawyers with 62,093 active lawyers, the only Midwestern state in the top 10 aside from Michigan.
- Illinois ranks fourth in lawyers per capita, with 4.95 lawyers per 1,000 residents.
- According to NALP, Midwestern cities account for five of the bottom 10 metro areas when measuring law firm diversity. The cities include Cleveland, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Kansas City.
To read the full 2024 ABA Profile of the Legal Profession, click here.
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