Support for the Department in Conducting an Analysis of Diversity in the Attorney Workforce

The U.S. Department of Justice has recognized the importance of having a diverse attorney workforce—both to ensure that it performs at its best and to ensure that it maintains the confidence of the American people. As the “nation’s law firm,” DOJ must represent the nation. DOJ commissioned KPMG Consulting and Taylor Cox & Associates to analyze its human resources management practices for their effect on the Department’s ability to recruit, hire, promote, retain, and utilize an attorney workforce that is diverse with respect to gender, race, and ethnicity. Our analytical framework, the Interactional Model for Cultural Diversity, focuses on how the work climate at DOJ impacts individual and organizational outcomes. In order to achieve its diversity goals, the Department must attain the following:
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-Female and racial/ethnic minorities are represented at all levels of the Department at a rate consistent with their representation in the overall population of attorneys in the United States.
ƒ-All gender and racial/ethnic groups of attorneys achieve parity in job satisfaction and perceptions of fairness in the work climate.

The study involved assessing the Department’s human resources administration by interviewing HR managers, analyzing workforce data, conducting interviews and focus groups with attorneys, and administering an employee survey to the attorney workforce. In all, approximately 1,400 DOJ attorneys (out of an approximate total of 9,200) provided input into the study. In addition, we gathered input for the study from the American Bar Association, minority bar associations, and DOJ attorney employee associations. This also explored public- and private-sector organizations for benchmarks and best practices.