The State Bar’s 2024 Diversity Report Card finds that while California’s legal profession continues to become more representative of the state’s population―with women and people of color both representing 57 percent of newly admitted attorneys, an all-time high for representation of both groups―the attorney workforce still does not reflect the state’s rich diversity.
“The 2024 Diversity Report shows that while California’s attorney population is gradually becoming more reflective of the state’s rich diversity, the pace and distribution of progress remain uneven,” said Erika Doherty, Interim Executive Director. “It’s encouraging that women of color once again make up the largest share of newly admitted attorneys. However, representation gaps persist, especially for Latino and Black attorneys. Achieving a legal profession that reflects the diversity of California’s communities requires sustained action grounded in data. Enhancing access, fairness, and diversity in the legal profession is not merely aspirational—it is central to our public protection mission and essential to ensuring meaningful access to justice.”
White attorneys are overrepresented in California’s attorney population (64 percent) compared to their representation in the state’s adult population (37 percent), while people of color are notably underrepresented in the attorney population (36 percent) compared to the state’s adult population (63 percent). Latinos are the most underrepresented, constituting 37 percent of California’s population but only 6 percent of California’s active licensed attorneys.
Key trends among newly admitted attorneys include the following:
Women and people of color both constituted 57 percent of attorneys newly admitted to the State Bar in 2024, marking an all-time high for representation of both groups. In 1990, men and women of color made up just 9 and 8 percent of newly admitted attorneys, respectively. By 2024, women of color accounted for 34 percent of newly admitted attorneys, while men of color made up 22 percent. Women of color now constitute the largest group of newly admitted attorneys, a trend that started in 2021.
The proportion of Asians among newly admitted attorneys has more than tripled since 1990, while the percentage of those identifying as multiracial has more than quadrupled. Similarly, the representation of Latinos among newly admitted attorneys has nearly tripled.
All nonwhite racial/ethnic groups have experienced increased representation among newly admitted attorneys since 2020, except for American Indian/Alaska Natives, whose representation has remained the same, and Black/African Americans, who have experienced a slight decline.
The recent uptick in racial/ethnic diversity among attorneys admitted since 2020 is predominantly led by women. Notably, the representation of Asian, Latino, and multiracial women has steadily increased, while Black women have seen a slight decline.
In 2024, there were approximately 196,000 active licensed attorneys in California. Key takeaways for the overall attorney population in 2024 include:
Asian attorneys account for 16 percent of the state’s population and 14 percent of all attorneys.
Attorneys who identify as multiracial make up 8 percent of all attorneys, four times more than the share of multiracial adults statewide.
Black adults are roughly 6 percent of California’s population but only 3.5 percent of all attorneys.
The share of attorneys who identify as Middle Eastern/North African (3 percent) and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islanders (0.3 percent) is comparable to their representation among California’s adult population.
Looking beyond specific racial/ethnic categories, people of color account for 63 percent of the state’s adult population yet just 36 percent of California’s active attorneys.
Women are half of California’s adult population but just 45 percent of California attorneys.
Just 1 percent of the attorney population identifies as nonbinary.
Less than 1 percent of the attorney population identifies as transgender, comparable to recent estimates of the transgender adult population in California.
The share of attorneys identifying as LGBTQIA+ is comparable to California’s statewide LGBTQIA+ adult population at 9 percent.
Attorneys with disabilities constitute just 6 percent of the profession, compared to 25 percent of California’s adult population. Disability status includes individuals who report having at least one form of a disability that limits activities and self-care, including mobility issues, cognitive impairments, and vision and hearing impairments.
The representation of veterans in the attorney population is 4.8 percent and is comparable to their representation in the state’s population at 4.1 percent.
Publishing annual demographic data about California attorneys is essential both to measuring progress toward the goal of achieving a representative attorney population and to equipping policymakers and other stakeholders with the information needed to shape efforts that can meaningfully influence the trajectory of the profession.
The State Bar of California's mission is to protect the public and includes the primary functions of licensing, regulation and discipline of attorneys; the advancement of the ethical and competent practice of law; and support of efforts for greater access to, and inclusion in, the legal system.
