Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) have introduced the 2009 Law Firm Diversity

Database (http://mcca.vault.com). The new database is a fully-searchable online tool with

comprehensive data on diversity performance at nearly 280 law firms nationwide, including the

majority of the Am Law 200. The data shows limited improvement in diversity at the highest ranks

of U.S. law firms from 2003-2007.

The Vault/MCCA Law Firm Diversity Database is compiled based on the organizations’ annual

diversity survey, a comprehensive online questionnaire distributed to law firms nationwide. The

result is quantitative and qualitative data that provides a complete picture of the diversity

commitment and programs within each law firm. Using the free Diversity Database, the corporate

counsel community, graduating law students and prospective employees can fully evaluate the

diversity programs and make-up of the nation’s top law firms – including the percentage of women

and minorities employed by firms in a variety of categories, ranging from full-time associates to

equity partners to management roles.

“With the launch of the 2009 Law Firm Diversity Database, corporations looking to hire outside

counsel, as well as job seekers, have crucial information at their disposal to compare the diversity

commitment and progress of the nation’s largest law firms,” said Samer Hamadeh, Vault’s chief

operating officer. “Vault is pleased to be working with MCCA and leading corporate counsel to

shine a spotlight on the issue of diversity in the legal community.”

“Advancing diversity and annually benchmarking progress is essential work for MCCA,” said Veta

Richardson, executive director of the MCCA. “But what is particularly exciting about this database

is the ability to standardize the type of information that it is openly available about law firm

diversity efforts and to continue to raise the bar as good approaches are adopted by more and more

law firms.”

Created in cooperation with Accenture, Bank of America, PPG Industries, Sara Lee, Microsoft and

Wal-Mart, the Vault/MCCA Law Firm Diversity Database was developed to support the Call to

Action, a corporate counsel initiative founded in 2003 and devoted to increasing diversity at U.S.

law firms. To date, nearly 150 chief legal officers, representing many of the country’s largest

companies, have joined the Call to Action. The Call to Action initiative is led by Roderick

Palmore, formerly of Sara Lee and currently executive vice president, general counsel and secretary

who is senior vice president, general counsel and secretary of PPG Industries.

“Any serious conversation about ‘the best talent’ must factor in diversity. Those companies and

firms which ignore diversity eventually will find themselves at a competitive disadvantage,” said

Mr. Palmore. “There remains much to be done, but we are making progress. With the help of

MCCA and Vault, we intend to keep at it until the barriers to full and equal participation for all

lawyers are broken.”

The 2009 MCCA/Vault Law Firm Diversity Database (http://mcca.vault.com) represents a

significant expansion of the initial edition of the database (http://extranet.vault.com/lawdiversity),

which was released in May 2008. First, the 2009 edition is a fully searchable online tool; second, it

incorporates information from more than 70 additional law firms, for a total of nearly 280; and,

third, it includes an expanded list of diversity categories. The May 2008 database includes

information from 2003 through 2006 on minority men, minority women, white women and GLBT

attorneys. The 2009 edition also includes data on attorneys with disabilities, as well as the following

racial/ethnic categories: White/Caucasian, African-American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, Alaska

Native/American Indian, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander and Multiracial.

On the qualitative front, the database now includes a section devoted to pipeline programs as well as

information on how firm leadership communicates the importance of diversity to its staff members

and the ways leadership is held accountable for achieving results.

The MCCA/Vault Law Firm Diversity Database is a free resource. Registration is required. The

next edition of the MCCA/Vault Law Firm Diversity Database is expected to be released during the

fourth quarter of 2009 and will include statistics for 2008.

Despite having recently elected its first African-American president, the United States has not

demonstrated the same level of progress with diversity in the nation’s law firms, particularly at the

most senior levels. While the number of women and minorities joining law firms as associates is

fairly significant, the percentage of women and minorities who advance through the ranks to partner

drops significantly. For 2007, women made up 44.66% of associates at law firms, while only

16.07% of equity partners were women. Minorities overall represented 20.69% of law firm

associates, but only 5.64% of equity partners. For minority women, the trend is similar: 11.57% of

associates are minority women, but minority women represent only 1.55% of equity partners.

Further, while the numbers are trending up, growth for minorities and women at the partner level

continues to be slow. The number of women equity partners in law firms grew just 6% between

2003 and 2007. At the same time, minority representation at the equity partner level increased by

28.7%, but rose just over a percentage point in the overall numbers -- moving from 4.38% to 5.64%

of the total equity partner numbers.

Below is a year-by-year breakdown:

Equity partners

  2007       2006     2005       2004      2003

16.07%  16.06%  15.89%  15.47%  15.23%

Associates

 2007        2006       2005        2004       2003

44.66%   44.73%   44.34%   43.28%   43.49%

__________________________________________________________________

Equity partners:

 2007      2006     2005       2004       2003

5.64%    5.36%   4.97%    4.48%    4.38%

African-American/Black: 1.61%

Hispanic/Latino: 1.76%

Asian: 1.90%

Alaska Native/American Indian: 0.16%

Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: 0.02%

Multiracial: 0.20%

Associates:

   2007       2006       2005       2004       2003

20.69%   19.40%   18.24%   17.28%   17.19%

African-American/Black: 5.08%

Hispanic/Latino: 4.33%

Asian: 9.90%

Alaska Native/American Indian: 0.22%

Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: 0.12%

Multiracial: 1.04%

__________________________________________________________________

Equity Partners:

  2007      2006      2005      2004      2003

1.55%    1.37%    1.36%     1.17%   1.14%

African-American/Black: 0.46%

Hispanic/Latino: 0.42%

Asian: 0.56%

Alaska Native/American Indian: 0.04%

Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: 0.01%

Multiracial: 0.05%

Associates:

  2007       2006        2005      2004     2003

11.57%   10.78%   10.03%   9.50%   9.39%

African-American/Black: 3.16%

Hispanic/Latino: 2.16%

Asian: 5.50%

Alaska Native/American Indian: 0.10%

Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: 0.07 %

Multiracial: 0.57%

Vault (Vault.com) is the Web’s most comprehensive resource for career management and job

search information, including insider intelligence on salaries, hiring practices and company cultures.

Vault features thousands of company and university profiles, information on hundreds of

occupations and industries, articles on a multitude of workplace topics as well as jobs-related video,

blogs and research tools. Vault publishes more than 120 online and print books, from the bestselling

clients include Fortune 1000 advertisers and recruiters, leading universities and graduate schools

and nearly 8 million consumers worldwide. Maintaining offices in New York, London, Mumbai,

and Hong Kong, Vault was founded in 1996.

The Minority Corporate Counsel Association advocates for the expanded hiring, promotion, and

retention of minority attorneys in corporate legal departments and the law firms that serve them.

MCCA furthers its mission by publishing research on achieving diversity and best practices in the

legal profession, honoring innovative diversity programs with its Employer of Choice and Thomas

L. Sager awards, and assisting diverse law students through the Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship

Program. MCCA’s work has been recognized with awards from the National Minority Business

Council, Inc., the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Gay and Lesbian

Law Association, and the Association of Corporate Counsel. Founded in 1997, MCCA is

headquartered in Washington, D.C., and also has a Southeast regional office in Atlanta, Ga. For

For Vault.com:

Christine Levesque

publicity@vault.com

917.941.1505

For MCCA:

Diane Nowak-Waring

Dnowak-waring@crosbymarketing.com

410-626-0805