I'm not getting to work on significant matters. Another black associate interviewed by Murray said while he and a number of other black lawyers were highly recruited to the firm, management didn't know what to do with them once they were there. They also did not think they had a significant mentoring opportunity. Murray added many of those black associates indicated that they did not have the opportunity to participate in certain social networking events and were not given the challenging work assignments they craved. Unless you can establish a good relationship with senior lawyers, the best cases are not coming to you.
Lawyers tend to give their work to associates they feel comfortable with.
Women Lawyers Tribble said as competition for legal talent increases, and women make up a growing percentage of that talent pool, retaining and advancing women is also essential to staying competitive. She said of those graduating in the 1970s, only 30 percent of the women are still with firms, as opposed to 51 percent of the men. The study also found 35 percent of women law graduates from the 1980s and 51 percent of women law graduates from the 1990s are still in firms. With respect to satisfaction with their current employer generally, there is striking parity between the response of white men and white women lawyers, the survey found. However, women of color law graduates . . . report lower satisfaction levels on these indicators, as well as on advancement generally.