DEI Committee Report
DEI By Michael Bracamontes
Now that the hard-fought Uber campaign has concluded, we rest, take stock, and gear up for the next fight. Such is life as an active plaintiff’s attorney and advocate. While we face serious threats from predictable foes, we must advance the cause of justice and representation along all avenues of our profession. Cue our state diversity statistics. In its last biennial report to the Legislature, the State Bar identified various DEI programs and initiatives in its five-year plan. The bar sought to increase the numbers of diverse attorneys in the legal profession, identify data supported practices that promote retention and advancement, and engage DEI leaders and legal employers to set and publicly commit to measurable DEI goals. These goals were brought about because of California’s incrementally paced legal profession statistics. White people account for 64% of the attorney population, yet make up 37% of the state’s adult population. Women represent half of California’s population, but only and 45% of the attorneys.
Hispanic/Latina women make up 3.2% of attorneys. Hispanic/Latino men make up 3.1% of attorneys. Black women make up 2.0% of attorneys. Black men make up 1.5% of attorneys. Asian men are at 6.3%. Asian women come in at 7.9%. Middle Eastern men and women equal 1.3% and 1.4%, respectively. These numbers are even lower when we calculate how many attorneys of color are plaintiff’s attorneys. The good news in that in 1990, men and women of color made up 8-9% of the newly-admitted attorneys. In 2024, women of color accounted for 34% of newly-admitted attorneys and men of color 22%. (CA State Bar 2024 Report Card of the Diversity of California’s Legal Profession.) The numbers help inform the diversity aspect of the DEI program. However, I’d argue that inclusion is the most important part. Attorneys of color retire from the profession at a younger age than their white counterparts. It is difficult being the only woman or Brown, Black, or Indigenous person in the whole room (or building). Welcoming people through the door is just the first step. We need to include them as well. It is easy to attend a networking event, conference, or convention and hang out with the old pals – heck, that’s most of the fun. However, to some it can feel a little clique- ish and isolating. So the next time you’re at an event, make a new friend, introduce them to the crew, and help put the “include” in inclusion.
Michael Bracamontes (Bracamontes & Vlasak, P.C.) has spent his career advocating for people and families against large corporations, landlords, and insurance companies. He is the past chair of the DEI Committe and sits on the 2026 CAOC Executive Committee.
Mbracamontes@Bvlawsf.com
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Consumer Attorneys of California
FORUM July/August 2026
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