Several law firms and legal departments worked with Diversity Lab over five years — from January 2020 through December 2024 — to explore ways to boost inclusivity in the legal profession. This first-of-its-kind fund pooled resources to ideate, implement, and iterate experiments using behavioral science and data. The goal is to de-bias systems in hiring, promotions, and other talent practices to ensure equal opportunity for all.
of equity partners in large law firms are women, though women represent more than 50% of law school graduating classes.
higher attrition rate for racial minority lawyers in large law firms as compared to white lawyers.
years until racial minority equity partners reach parity with representation in law schools on the current trajectory.
Despite decades of hard work by industry stakeholders to create a more inclusive profession, many populations are still underrepresented in law firms and legal departments compared to law school graduating classes. Focused on equal access, equal opportunity, and equal treatment — not equal outcomes or quotas — top community leaders came together through the MTN Fund to create an experimental “laboratory” where bold new approaches were incubated over five years to eradicate discrimination in the legal profession and beyond.
To uncover new ways to level the playing field in law, Diversity Lab and participating firms take the following actions:
Set benchmarks — such as greater retention — to aim for over five years to increase inclusion and provide a roadmap for the broader legal community.
Step 1
Explore and experiment with ways to de-bias talent practices by implementing past Diversity in Law Hackathon ideas.
Step 2
Measure the effectiveness of the bias interrupters at the firms using various methods, including data analysis, assessments, and more.
Step 3
Share what we learned through the fund with the broader legal community.
Step 4
20 Pilots Tested Across 30+ Practice Groups
The MTN Fund tested pilots at the practice group and firmwide levels, an approach that allowed us to innovate alongside lawyers, and find and iterate on solutions that provided equal opportunities for all.
Trailblazing Beyond 2025
The formal efforts of the MTN Fund ended after five years, as planned, in December 2024. The learnings will be shared in 2025 and beyond. Many of the pilots born out of the Fund will continue to develop and expand. This includes the Diversity Dividends Collective, the Counsel Spotlight, and the Reel Talk AV Club.
The four firms committed to experimenting to uncover the most effective inclusion strategies through the MTN Fund are:
If you are interested in learning more about Move the Needle Fund or any of our other pilots, please contact us.
We love new collaborators.
