The best of the best of the next generation of lawyers descended on the 36th District Court late last year. The downtown Detroit court led by Chief Judge Bill McConico is the largest, busiest, and most diverse court in the country, and it cleared its docket for three days to host top law students from across the country to compete in the National Trial Advocacy Competition. Sponsored by the State Bar of Michigan Young Lawyers and Litigation sections, these 115 students — and the event itself — left me in awe.
The talent, commitment, and intelligence of the competitors and organizers was inspiring — so much so that I found myself unabashedly collecting résumés by the end. I reveled in the brilliance of these bright minds that hailed from all corners of our nation. This talented class of future lawyers was a beautiful collection of cultures and backgrounds.
It was a noticeable contrast to the delightful group of attorneys I met one month prior at the annual Golden Celebration honoring attorneys who achieved 50 years of membership in the State Bar of Michigan. Here, lawyers from across Michigan came together to bask in their accomplishments. It was an honor to acknowledge them as well. These members joined the State Bar of Michigan in the early ’70s. The room was filled with our role models and the legal masterminds who argued cases that shaped our state and our country. However, there were noticeably fewer women and people of color among them. One of the few Black honorees was Wayne County Circuit Judge Edward Thomas. I was particularly honored to celebrate Judge Thomas, who swore me in as a member of the Bar, as a member of the class of 1972.
Our past and our future make me proud. The fact is that historically, the legal profession in Michigan and nationwide was almost exclusively a profession of white men. However, the bar leaders we hold dear, of all races, understood and respected the need for diversity. Fueled by the powerful leadership of trailblazers such as former Michigan Supreme Court justice and Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, our 50th State Bar president, and federal judge Victoria Roberts, our 62nd president and the first Black woman to lead the State Bar of Michigan, our legal predecessors came together to open doors for those of us who followed.
Their work has had an impact. The State Bar of Michigan annually issues a report with statewide, county, and section demographic information. It includes hundreds of tables packed with data. The report tells a story about the evolution of the legal profession in Michigan.
We have seen increased diversity among Michigan attorneys. When looking at the entire membership of the State Bar of Michigan, 18% of attorneys are people of color. However, among those admitted in the last 10 years, 34% come from diverse backgrounds according to the 2022 State Bar of Michigan Demographics Report. An excerpt from this report is at the bottom of the next page. (The full report is available online at michbar.org/demographics.)
The rate of growth was encouraging when assessing the class of 1982 versus the class of 2021-2022: Arab origin grew from 0.2% to 11.5%; Asian/Pacific Islander climbed from 0.0% to 3%; Hispanic/Latino rose from 1% to 4.4%; and multi-racial increased from 1% to 3.4%. Not only has the representation of those groups increased compared to the overall membership of the State Bar of Michigan, but women also have increased their numbers, accounting for 36.6% of all members. Among attorneys admitted to the Bar in the last 10 years, 47% are women.
Still, when looking at raw numbers, it is humbling to see how much work we have left to do. There are fewer than 1,300 attorneys who identify as Black in our state of 10 million residents. And while there have been large gains among some demographic groups in the State Bar, others — including African American and Native Americans — have just inched forward during the last 40 years.
Michigan actually outpaced the national average for the percentage of Black attorneys. Black attorneys account for 5.8% of the total in Michigan; nationally, that number is 4.5%. However, Michigan trailed the national average for all other racial and ethnic categories except for Native American, which came in at 0.5% for both the state and nation.
We can and should learn so much from this data. It validates the work of our historical leaders, but it also shows us that we have more work to do. It’s on us to pick up the torch and carry it forward. I commend my fellow Board of Commissioners who have ardently ensured that the State Bar of Michigan will continue leading the charge for diversity in the legal profession, even identifying diversity as a top strategic plan priority.
I applaud when I see State Bar of Michigan Director of Diversity Gregory Conyers expand the Face of Justice program to law schools to provide support and mentorship to help students succeed in their quest to become attorneys. I cheer when I see State Bar of Michigan Treasurer Erika Bryant providing statewide leadership on the newly formed Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion created by the Michigan Supreme Court. I celebrate when I see Coleman Potts leading the Young Lawyers Section and putting on that extraordinary National Trial Advocacy Competition at the 36th District Court.
It is critical to celebrate our achievements to date while acknowledging the long road we have ahead to make our profession truly diverse. I encourage my fellow attorneys to learn more about our demographics and then to join us. We’ve got work to do.