Law School Faculty Demographics (2023) 

Law school faculties became more diverse in 2023

Here at Enjuris, we’ve been tracking the gender and ethnoracial composition of law school students in the United States for almost a decade because we believe diversity is important in the legal field. 

However, limiting our scrutiny to law students ignores an important factor in achieving a more inclusive and representative legal profession.

In this report, we take our second look at the demographics of law school faculty in ABA-approved law schools across the country. 

Gender diversity among law school faculty

In 2023, male law professors outnumbered female law professors by 13.62 percent. 

Interestingly, the percentage of male faculty in ABA-approved law schools (56.42 percent) was close to the percentage of female law students (56.25 percent), and the percentage of female faculty (42.80 percent) was close to the percentage of male students (42.85 percent). 

Only 0.04 percent of law school faculty identified as “another gender identity,” compared to 0.36 percent of law students. Only 0.25 percent of law school faculty choose not to report their gender, compared to 0.54 percent of law students. 

Female faculty members have increased by 6.63 percent since 2011. For comparison, the number of female law students increased by 9.55 percent during the same period.

Some law schools have had considerably more success hiring and retaining female faculty than others.

Racial and ethnic diversity among law school faculty

The ABA requires each accredited law school to report enrollment data annually by completing a Standard 509 Disclosure. The Standard 509 Disclosure allows law schools to report the race and ethnicity of their students using seven distinct categories defined by the ABA.

When it comes to law school faculty, schools are only required to report whether a faculty member is a “person of color.”

With that in mind, people of color made up 21.05 percent of law school faculty in 2023 nationwide (up from 19.55 in 2022). 

Though these numbers may be alarming, particularly in light of the fact that 33.43 percent of law students were minorities in 2023, it’s important to keep in mind that the number of minority law professors has increased by 8.93 percentage points since 2011.

Of course, some law schools have had more success hiring and retaining persons of color than others.

**Excludes schools located in Puerto Rico

Importance of diversity among law school faculty

While the diversity of law school faculty has increased over the last several years, it still lags behind the gender and ethnoracial diversity among law students.

The ABA sets forth the standards law schools must meet to maintain accreditation. One of those standards is Standard 206(b), which states that:

A law school shall demonstrate by concrete action a commitment to diversity and inclusion by having a faculty and staff that are diverse with respect to gender, race, and ethnicity.

Over the years, the ABA has issued a number of notices of noncompliance demanding that certain law schools submit written reports explaining the concrete steps the school has taken to satisfy Standard 206(b). A school’s failure to demonstrate compliance could result in the school losing its accreditation. 

The text of Standard 206(b) includes an interpretation explaining the importance of a diverse faculty, noting that diversity in law school classrooms “promotes cross-cultural understanding, helps break down racial, ethnic and gender stereotypes and enables students to better understand persons of different backgrounds.”

Several studies have found that there are advantages to having a diverse faculty. One study published by the IZA Institute of Labor Economics notes that student-instructor demographic mismatch has statistically significant effects on students’ course grades. The impact of having an other-race instructor is about twice as large as the impact of having an other-sex instructor, and these harmful effects of mismatch are more pronounced for non-white students. Similarly, there are cumulative effects of exposure to demographically mismatched first-year course instructors on persistence in law school and on the likelihood of graduation.

At Enjuris, we’ll continue to track the gender, racial, and ethnic composition of law school faculty in ABA-approved law schools.  

More Enjuris research you might like

• Law school rankings by female enrollment (2023)
• Law school enrollment by race & ethnicity (2023) 
• Is there a gender wage gap in the legal profession?
• When you want a female personal injury lawyer, will one be available?
• How your race and gender could impact your injury settlement
• Enjuris resources for students

About Enjuris®

Enjuris.com is a collection of independent legal resources designed to help people with their biggest questions following an accident or injury. Through instructive articles written by experienced attorneys, printable forms, and a free legal directory, Enjuris provides injury victims with the information and tools they need to take the next step. In keeping with its mission, Enjuris.com also provides promising college and law school students with scholarships and other resources to help them one day become effective lawyers.

Data source: American Bar Association, ABA Required Disclosures (Standard 509 Reports). Any mistakes in data reported to the ABA are the responsibility of the reporting school. Enjuris assumes no responsibility for inaccuracies or for changes in such information that may occur after publication. The figures here are as reported on December 18, 2023. Schools may update their data at any time. Please see the ABA website for up-to-date figures.