When Law Students Don't Become Lawyers

The missing class

Mar 24, 2026

∙ Paid

📡 On my Radar

Crisis encourages action.

After the civil rights movement, Black Americans flooded into law schools. After discrimination grew post-9/11, many American Muslims and Sikh Americans entered careers in civil rights law. I was one of them.

The pattern was clear: injustice encouraged resistance.

Things are worryingly different now. This year, the number of lawyers from minority backgrounds at U.S. law firms and non-profits just hit a decade low. Three straight years of decline for law students who are women, LGBTQ, or people of color, even while overall hiring remains high.

There are many reasons for this. The U.S. government has criminalized diversity. Law firms are selectively hiring candidates who won’t draw the government’s ire. Legal non-profits that would attract these lawyers have seen their funding cut by the federal government for being “too woke.”

Is it any surprise that young law students feel unwelcome and demoralized in an environment where they should be feeling righteously angry and inspired to fight back?

Unlike in the past, injustice isn't encouraging young lawyers to fight back. It seems to be keeping them out.

That has to change. The courtroom is still the most powerful room in the country. We need young lawyers in it, and it's on the rest of us to make sure the door stays open.

📈 By the Numbers

👊🏽 Make a Difference

11 jobs

JOB | My friends at Team Rubicon lead the search for an operations leader.

JOB | Masha Tarasyuk reshares that Democracy Prep is hiring a Managing Director of Marketing & Communications, an executive role reporting to the CEO and leading brand strategy during a period of growth and evolution.

JOB | The Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights seeks a VP of Advancement & Engagement. This role is for those who know that fundraising is really movement building and want to do it at a moment when civil rights organizations are on the front lines.

JOB | Mayur Saxena is hiring an experienced attorney to serve as Chief of the Labor Enforcement Section at the NJ Attorney General’s Office, leading efforts to protect New Jersey workers from wage theft and other unlawful labor practices.

JOB (6) | OpenAI is hiring several positions on its AI integrity team.

JOB | Religions for Peace International seeks a Special Projects Associate at its UN-based headquarters in NYC.