Sponsors for Educational Opportunity Work to Promote Diversity in Law


Photo: Junial Enterprises | Shutterstock.
Despite how the field may currently look—with three women now serving on the Supreme Court and an attorney general, president, and first lady who are African-American--the law profession still struggles with a diversity problem. About 88 percent of lawyers are white, and because people who work in law typically hold positions of authority as judges, heads of government organizations, and lawmakers, most of our nation’s influence and power comes from people who are white. This is a fact that needs to be remedied, and the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity believe they can make a difference through equality in education.

The Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, or SEO, strives to make a difference around the world by providing a free, eight-year academic program to help low-income students through high school and college. Roughly 100 percent of students are accepted into a four-year university, and 95 percent of students graduate college within six years, compared to 54 percent who graduate in six years nationally.

SEO’s board is full of people dedicated to making a difference, like finance veteran Henry Kravis and Amy Ellis-Simon, who works as the Managing Director at Morgan Stanley.

By promoting education for low-income students, the SEO is also promoting diversity in education—and that means diversity in a lot of fields, including law. The problems in law are very real: it is currently the least diverse profession. Even though a third of the population and a fifth of law school graduates are people of color, they only make up seven percent of law firm partners, nine percent of general counsels of large corporations, and only three percent of associates. Only two percent of law partners are of African-American descent.

"To address these issues, legal organizations need a stronger commitment to equal opportunity, which is reflected in policies, priorities, and reward structures. Leaders must not simply acknowledge the importance of diversity, but also hold individuals accountable for the results," writes The Washington Post.

Through their programs, the SEO is finding careers and opportunities for underserved and underrepresented communities. In addition to the SEO Scholars academic program, the SEO also offers Career and Alternative Investments programs to work with individuals interested in banking and corporate leadership who might not otherwise find the right opportunities.


These programs help ensure a healthier future for all sectors and fields, including law. The SEO is working to ensure that the problem of diversity is not only acknowledged in law and in other professions, but that it is made actionable and therefore resolvable.

Post a Comment

Previous Post Next Post