Biglaw

Vault Ranks The Best Law Firms For Diversity (2022)

Did your law firm make the cut this time around?

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Over the course of this month, Vault has rolled out a variety of law firm rankings — from the firms that are the most prestigious to the firms that offer the best quality of life to the firms with the top-ranked practice areas in their region — and there’s yet another important one that we’ll dive into today.

Money can buy prestige and can certainly improve your quality of life, but the diversity of your colleagues is worth more than what any salary scale can pay.

In a companion ranking to the Vault 100, associates were asked to rank their own law firms based on categories most relevant to how the firm does at creating, maintaining, and fostering a diverse workforce, including racial and ethnic diversity, as well as diversity related to women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and individuals with disabilities. To create the overall Best 30 Firms for Diversity ranking, Vault averages the scores from all four ratings.

There was a huge amount of movement in the Top 10 this year. Which firms made the cut? Without any further ado, here are the Top 10 Best Law Firms for Diversity based on Vault’s Annual Associate Survey for 2022:

  1. McDermott Will & Emery
  2. O’Melveny & Myers
  3. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
  4. Ropes & Gray
  5. Orrick
  6. Robinson & Cole
  7. BakerHostetler
  8. Clifford Chance US
  9. Goodwin
  10. Finnegan Henderson

It’s worth noting that like almost all the Best Firms to Work For categories, McDermott swept Vault’s diversity rankings, with O’Melveny holding strong in second place. but there are other firms worth acknowledging here. Here’s some additional commentary on them, plus kind words from associates on McDermott’s and O’Melveny’s work to improve diversity, inside and outside of their firms:

In this year’s diversity rankings, eight firms appeared in the top 10 of all five categories: BakerHostetler, Clifford Chance, McDermott, Morgan Lewis, O’Melveny, Orrick, Robinson & Cole, and Ropes & Gray. …

Associates at McDermott and O’Melveny praise the firms for their DEI efforts. One McDermott associate shared, “The firm promotes diversity on all fronts and has regular programming to bring awareness as to how we can increase our efforts in terms of D&I,” while an associate from O’Melveny noted, “Diversity is extremely important at O’Melveny, and the firm shows it through its internal initiatives, sponsorship of external events, and pro bono opportunities.”

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Congratulations to each of the Biglaw firms that made the latest edition of the Vault Best Firms for Diversity rankings, and a huge congratulations to McDermott for yet another rankings sweep. How did your firm do? Email us, text us at (646) 820-8477, or tweet us @atlblog to let us know how you feel.

Best Law Firms for Diversity (2022) [Vault]

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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