Despite a focus on diversity in the legal profession, leadership roles in multidistrict litigation (MDL) remain predominantly held by white male attorneys. An analysis of MDL leadership appointments from 2016 to 2019 reveals that, on average, only 5% of these positions on plaintiffs’ teams were awarded to attorneys identifying as nonwhite. While female attorneys have made some progress, attorneys of color, such as Peter Prieto and Sabita Soneji, note that factors like a small network, the high cost of MDL cases, and ingrained biases present significant barriers. Some federal judges, like William Orrick and Robin Rosenberg, have actively worked to appoint more diverse leadership teams. However, attorneys like Kalpana Srinivasan and Diandra Zimmermann argue that true progress requires firms to provide attorneys of color with visible, key roles in litigation, moving beyond mere inclusion on a team roster.
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Originally published by Amanda Bronstad | Aug 17, 2020 | Law.com
