Some positive news in the world of legal diversity: Black women deans at law schools are on the rise.

• A University of Denver professor thought she noticed a trend of more Black women rising to the highest position of law schools: She recently added them up, according to Law.com, and discovered Black women now run 28 law schools. They comprise about 14% of dean roles at ABA accredited schools.

• There’s not a great metric to measure the progress: But Law.com estimates the share of Black women deans is actually higher than Black women law professors.

The reasons for the rise

University of Hawaii Law Dean Camille Nelson is the longest-tenured Black female dean. She and others say seeing a rise in Black women in the profession has likely inspired more to climb the leadership ranks. More conferences and workshops have also been geared at women of color. It also helps that legal institutions are being more cognizant of diversity. 

The Verdict

Nelson doesn’t want the increase in representation to stop anytime soon. “It’s the moment for this now,” she told Law.com.