NALP Bulletin+
November 2023
According to NALP's newest analyses of the demographic data within the 2022 NALP Directory of Legal Employers (NDLE), LGBTQ lawyers are slightly less likely to identify as women compared to lawyers overall; however, these figures vary by seniority. At the partner level, women make up a higher percentage of LGBTQ partners (31.53%) as compared to partners overall (26.65%) as reported within NALP's 2022 Report on Diversity in U.S. Law Firms, but at the associate level women account for a smaller percentage of LGBTQ associates (41.66%) as compared to all associates (49.42%). Similarly, LGBTQ summer associates are also less likely to identify as women (49.59%) as compared to summer associates overall (55.11%). (See Chart 1.)
While reporting of gender non-binary lawyers is still limited within the NDLE; overall, 0.62% of LGBTQ lawyers identified as non-binary. This percentage was higher for associates (0.75%) as compared to partners (0.30%). LGBTQ summer associates were much more likely to identify as non-binary (2.28%) as compared to LGBTQ lawyers. (See Chart 2.)
There are some variations in these statistics by firm size. For partners, associates, and lawyers overall, women make up the largest share of LGBTQ lawyers in firms of 101-250 lawyers (39.66% of partners, 44.93% of associates, and 41.97% of all lawyers). For summer associates, the percentage of LGBTQ summer associates identifying as women was highest in firms of 251-500 lawyers (55.56%), but lowest in firms of 101-250 lawyers (34.21%). Data for non-binary lawyers is not further broken out by firm size due to the small number of non-binary lawyers reported within the NDLE. (See Table 1.)
Additional information about LGBTQ lawyers is available in NALP's 2022 Report on Diversity in U.S. Law Firms at: www.nalp.org/report_on_diversity.
Table 1. Percentage of LGBTQ Lawyers Who Are Women at U.S. Law Firms by Firm Size, 2022
| By Number of Lawyers of Firm-wide | Partners | Associates | All Lawyers | Summer Associates | Total # of LGBTQ Lawyers Reported |
Total # of LGBTQ Summer Associates Reported |
| All Firms | 31.53% | 41.66% | 37.97% | 49.59% | 4,006 | 616a |
| 100 or Fewer Lawyers | 34.38 | 34.29 | 34.21 | — | 76 | — |
| 101-250 Lawyers | 39.66 | 44.93 | 41.97 | 34.21 | 274 | 38 |
| 251-500 Lawyers | 32.37 | 37.02 | 34.03 | 55.56 | 429 | 45 |
| 501-700 Lawyers | 28.26 | 43.77 | 38.44 | 43.84 | 450 | 73 |
| 701+ Lawyers | 30.31 | 41.84 | 38.21 | 51.21 | 2,777 | 455 |
Source: 2022 NALP Directory of Legal Employers
a: Gender data was not available for one LGBTQ summer associate; therefore, percentages are based on 615 summer associates.
Figures for LGBTQ lawyers are based on 588 offices/firms reporting at least one LGBTQ lawyer; figures for LGBTQ summer associates are based on 227 offices/firms with a summer program and reporting at least one LGBTQ summer associate. Dashes in a row indicate that the total number of LGBTQ lawyers or summer associates was less than 10; therefore, data are not reported in the table. Due to the small number of non-binary lawyers reported within the NDLE, statistics for non-binary lawyers by firm size have not been included in this table.Data for counsel and non-traditional track/staff attorneys are not shown separately, but are included in the "All Lawyers" figures.
Chart 1. Percentage of Lawyers in U.S. Law Firms Who Are Women, LGBTQ vs. Overall, 2022
Notes: Figures for all lawyers are based on 825 offices/firms reporting lawyer data; figures for all summer associates are based on 542 offices/firms with a summer program and reporting demographic data. Figures for LGBTQ lawyers are based on 588 offices/firms reporting at least one LGBTQ lawyer; figures for LGBTQ summer associates are based on 227 offices/firms with a summer program and reporting at least one LGBTQ summer associate. Data for counsel and non-traditional track/staff attorneys are not shown separately, but are included in the "Women Lawyers" figures.
Source: 2022 NALP Directory of Legal Employers
Chart 2. LGBTQ Lawyers by Gender at U.S. Law Firms (in percentages), 2022
Notes: Data for counsel and non-traditional track/staff attorneys are not shown separately, but are included in the "All Lawyers" figures. Figures for LGBTQ lawyers are based on 588 offices/firms reporting at least one LGBTQ lawyer; figures for LGBTQ summer associates are based on 227 offices/firms with a summer program and reporting at least one LGBTQ summer associate. Overall, counts of LGBTQ lawyers with gender data include 999 partners, 2,549 associates, 458 other lawyers, in addition to 615 summer associates.
Source: 2022 NALP Directory of Legal Employers
