Black Male Lawyers Detail Racial Bias Inside and Outside Big Law

Partner Duvol Thompson was interviewed for a Westlaw Today article discussing "176 Years Later: Real Life Stories of Black Male Lawyers in Corporate America," a recently issued report compiled by 1844, a group of Black male lawyers. The name "1844" refers to the year when Macon Bolling Allen became the first Black person to be licensed as a lawyer in the United States. Mr. Thompson is a member of group and was one of the authors and editors of the report. Among the findings were that 30 percent of members had changed jobs in the legal industry to escape bias, racism or a hostile work environment, and that 42 percent had been called a racial slur in the last five years. Mr. Thompson explained that the report serves as a reminder of the persistence of racism in the workplace.

"This is something that we as Black attorneys, and Black people generally, deal with every day," Mr. Thompson said. "That may be the first time some partners saw a George Floyd, but we've been seeing this for years. It's not anything new to us."

READ: Black Male Lawyers Detail Racial Bias Inside and Outside Big Law (Subscription required)