By Anahí C. Contreras | Tressler Attorney and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee Member
September 15th marked the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month, also known as Latinx & Hispanic History Month. Tressler’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee is proud to take this opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of equity and inclusion of Latinx individuals in the legal industry.
The Latinx community makes up approximately 18.7%[1] of the population in the United States, while only 5% of all lawyers in the country are Latinx.[2] This disproportionate percentage shows how underrepresented the Latinx community is in the nation's legal industry.
The gap is even more extreme in California, where the Latinx state population is comprised of a sizable 35%, but only 7% of all lawyers in the state are Latinx. The legal profession remains approximately two-thirds White in the State of California.[3] The California State Bar has highlighted these concerning findings in the chart below that is part of its “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Plan” report. The State Bar has outlined an extensive plan to address this inequity by supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts, creating a culture of inclusion, and working towards retention and advancement of diverse individuals in the industry. I look forward to seeing progress in California and throughout the United States.
As an attorney in Tressler’s Insurance Practice Group in California, I am proud to be part of the 5% of Latinx lawyers, and beyond that, part of 2% of Latina lawyers throughout the country. I am a testament to what Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) efforts can help achieve. Tressler is committed to increasing diversity in the legal profession by supporting internal DEI initiatives and encouraging diverse recruitment, advancement and retention within our firm. I know we have work to do throughout the industry, and real progress stems from everyone working together.
In honor of National Hispanic American Heritage Month, Tressler is supporting the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF), a nationally recognized organization that empowers Hispanic students to reach higher education by offering scholarships and additional support. HSF supported me as an undergraduate student by providing me with a scholarship that helped me during a period of serious financial hardship. The scholarship helped me on my journey to law school, and I am now proud to support the organization as a practicing attorney.
Please consider joining us in supporting the Hispanic Scholarship Fund by donating to the organization here: https://www.hsf.net/.
About the Author
Anahí C. Contreras is an associate in the Insurance Practice Group in Tressler's Orange County, California office. She concentrates her practice on insurance coverage analysis and litigation. Anahí is a member of the Orange County Hispanic Bar Association and the Mexican-American Bar Association. She also has more than 13 years of experience in the legal field, working in government civil litigation defense with the Orange County Counsel’s Office and in transactional law both in the private and public sectors. Anahí can be reached at aconteras@tresslerllp.com.
Sources:
[1] 2020 US Census
[2] ABA National Lawyer Population Survey (2022)
[3] California State Bar Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Plan Report, Attachment 3, p. 67 (2019)
