Just the stats.

Just the stats. The set of statistics compiled for this annual law edition presentsa mixed picture of the status of minorities and women in the legalprofession. Though minorities have been applying to law schools inrecord numbers, the percentage of African-American and Mexican-Americanfirst-year law students has steadily declined in recent years. Andthough most students who sit for the bar exam eventually pass,African-Americans and Hispanics tend to lag behind Whites andAsian-Americans. For women, the situation is more grim after law school: althoughwomen make up nearly half of law school enrollment--47 percent,according to an American Bar Association analysis of 2008-09 academicyear data--women comprise only 31 percent of all lawyers. Only 15percent of General Counsel at Fortune 500 companies are women. [GRAPHIC OMITTED] Another area where diversity and law intersect: the rise indiscrimination cases. The number of racial and gender discriminationlawsuits have increased during the past decade, while the percentage ofclosures have declined, according to the Equal Employment OpportunityCommission. Here are other telling facts and figures regarding diversity forthis law-themed edition. Women in the Legal Profession 1,180,386 Total Lawyers 31% Percent women SOURCE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION, 2009 Decrease in representation of African-American and Mexican-AmericanMatriculants, 1993-2008: -7.5% African-American -11.7% Mexican-American SOURCE: "A DISTURBING TREND IN LAW SCHOOL DIVERSITY,"2009 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAWFortune 500 GeneralCounsel, by GenderWomen 15%Men 85%Women as Fortune 500General Counsel, by RaceWhite 88%Black 7%Hispanic 2%Pacific Islander 1%SOURCE: MCCA 2009 SURVEYDiscrimination Claims and Settlements: 1999-2009Race-Based Lawsuits 1999 2003 2006 2009Receipts 28,819 28,526 27,238 33,579Settlements 6.1% 9.4% 11.7% 9.8%Closures 20.6% 15.5% 13.2% 15.4%Sex-Based Lawsuits 1999 2003 2006 2009Receipts 23,907 24,362 23,247 28,028Settlements 6.5% 10.6% 12.1% 10.3%Closures 28.5% 2O.2% 18.9% 21.4%* SOURCE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSIONEventual Bar PassageRates by RaceBlack 77.6%Asian-American 91.9%White 96.7%Hispanic 89.0%American Indian 82.2%Other 91.5%SOURCE: LSAC NATIONAL LONGITUDINAL BARPASSAGE STUDYGender Distribution of All LawFaculty, 2008-2009WhiteMen 65%Women 35%Non-WhiteMen 53%Women 47%SOURCE: AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF LAW SCHOOLS,STATISTICAL REPORT ON LAW FACULTY, 2008-2009Note: Table made from pie chart.