Calibrate ID: 2021 Research Results

Calibrate is pleased to provide the results of the 2021 Calibrate ID research program, which benchmarks Diversity, Equity and Inclusion metrics among business services professionals at major law firms.


Calibrate ID aims to measure and understand inclusion and diversity (defined in terms of gender, race, LGBTQ+, disability, and military service) among business service professionals at Am Law 200 firms. The first-of-its-kind research program seeks to address inclusion and diversity efforts at law firms more holistically and to foster innovation.

The 2021 research covered more than 2,700 business services positions — covering such disciplines as HR, Finance, Legal Operations, IT, Marketing and HR — at eight major law firms.  Each participating firm received a customized report benchmarking their business services teams against the total population.

Key benefits participating firms can expect are…

  • Leverage data insights and peer benchmarking analysis to identify blind spots
  • Elevate business operations and corporate culture by fueling firmwide upgrades to improve inclusivity.
  • Gauge diversity and inclusion metrics for business teams in a consistent and repeatable manner.
  • Reinforce firm commitment to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in the workplace.
  • Focus on inclusion to encompass all of the talent inside a law firm — including both legal practitioners and business services professionals.

Highlights of the 2021 research findings included….

  • Gender: Females outweigh Males (75%:25% or 3:1) with a minuscule 0.15% identifying as Non-Binary.
  • Race: Top respondent ethnicity/race was Caucasian (78%) followed by Black or African American (12%) and Hispanic/Latinx (5%).
  • LGBTQ+: 3% respondents identified as belonging to the LGBTQ+ community, 83% choose NO and the remaining 14% choose NOT TO ANSWER.
  • Disability: of 80% respondents indicated they have DO NOT have a Disability (of a history/record of it) compared to 2% who DO; the remaining 18% choose NOT TO ANSWER
  • Military Service: Only 1% respondents identified as Veterans, 71% as non-Veterans and 28% choose NOT TO ANSWER
  • Age: Average respondent age was 49 years with 80% of respondents falling in the 40-69 year age bracket

Get your copy of the 2021 Calibrate ID Research

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