HHR Maintains High Marks in AmLaw, Law360 Diversity Surveys

August 27, 2021 – Hughes Hubbard was again recognized as among the most diverse firms in the annual diversity surveys of The American Lawyer and Law360.

In AmLaw’s 2021 Diversity Scorecard, published in the magazine’s June edition, the firm tied Reed Smith for No. 45, with 21.7 percent of its attorneys and 15 percent of its partners identifying as minorities.

The Diversity Scorecard records the average number of full-time equivalent minority attorneys – Asian-American, Black, Latino or Hispanic, Native American and self-described multiracial attorneys – at AmLaw 200 and National Law Journal 250 law firms in the calendar year 2020.

HHR has consistently ranked among the top 50 in recent AmLaw surveys, climbing 33 spots to No. 41 in 2018, ascending a further five positions to No. 36 the following year, and tying for No. 38 with Baker McKenzie in 2020.

In Law360’s 2021 Diversity Snapshot, published Aug. 16, HHR ranked No. 16 – alongside Thompson Coe – among firms with 101 to 250 lawyers, one spot higher than the previous year. The firm ranked No. 15 in 2019 and No. 14 in 2018.

Last year’s snapshot scored firms based on their proportion of minority attorneys and proportion of minority equity partners, awarding points based on their rank in the two categories. This year’s ranking includes a pipeline score that measures a given firm’s percentage points above or below a set of benchmarks Law360 created using data from the American Bar Association and firms’ own headcounts. The pipeline score aims to show how firms’ unique headcounts would have to break down by race and ethnicity to align with the potential marketplace of hires.

HHR came within 0.6 percent of reaching the benchmarks, among nearly one-fifth of firms that scored within five points of the target. According to Law360, only 17.3 percent of firms exceed the benchmarks, while half of the firms surveyed fell between five and 15 points below them. Another 13.2 percent scored more than 15 points lower than the target thresholds.