How Will the ABA Utilize This Information?
The ABA currently utilizes state licensing agency demographic data to inform is publication of the ABA Profile of the Legal Profession, published each year. Accurate and complete information shared with us from licensing agencies allows the ABA to provide a more holistic picture of the legal profession, ultimately allowing the ABA and all other organizations interested in legal profession demographics to better serve our law professionals and understand our population.
Additionally, the ABA's Bar Services Division publishes information on state bar associations and other licensing agencies each year with its annual State and Local Bar Benchmarks Survey, including data on which licensing agencies request information on demographics from members.
Why Should You Consider Collecting Demographic Information?
The ABA collects demographics of its members voluntarily. We are currently working on ways to encourage more of our members to provide this critical information, as doing so gives us a snapshot of the diversity of our members so that we can better serve them, as well as measure the effectiveness and success of our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Our thought is that collaborating with your agency will give all of us an opportunity to share ideas, strategies, and best practices, with the ultimate goal being to collect comprehensive data and increase the response rate.
Currently, the ABA collects demographics on gender, race, disability, and LGBTQ+ identification. Below are sample questions for you to consider as you design/update your demographic collection methodology. If you are interested in engaging on this most important issue, please contact Safaya Fawzi, Associate Director, ABA Diversity and Inclusion Center, at [email protected].
Sample Demographics Questions for Your Data Collection
The ABA collects demographic information from its members voluntarily in order to determine the diversity of its membership and measure the effectiveness of its diversity and inclusion efforts. We would like your agency to consider utilizing the phrasing we use for the demographic categories below.
Add disclaimer text: To encourage individuals to fill out this information, it is important to emphasize that providing this information is voluntary, and that the information will be kept confidential. Your agency may already have its own privacy policy and respective language.
Sample ABA Language: Providing the requested demographic information is voluntary and, per ABA’s Privacy Policy, is deemed “sensitive personally identifiable information” that will not be included in membership directories or registration lists, or otherwise be shared publicly.
Use the following demographic categories in alphabetical order:
- BIRTHDATE
- DISABILITY
- GENDER
- PRONOUNS
- RACE/ETHNICITY
- SEXUAL ORIENTATION
- TRANSGENDER
For each of the demographic categories, we recommend creating a drop-down menu with the following options.
NOTE: "Option not listed above" is an appropriate alternative to "Other" (which should not be used). If your demographic collection system does allow for a write-in option, that is preferable and feel free to utilize just the write-in option (and omit "Option not listed above" to avoid redundancy):
Disability:
- No
- Yes
- Write-in option
- Prefer not to answer
Gender:
- Female
- Male
- Non-binary/gender non-conforming
- Option not listed above
- Write-in option
- Prefer not to answer
Pronouns:
- He/him/his
- She/her/hers
- They/them/theirs
- Option not listed above
- Write-in option
- Prefer not to answer
Race/Ethnicity:
- African American/Black
- Asian (Central/East/South/Southeast)
- Hispanic/Latino/a/x
- Middle Eastern/North African
- Native American/Indigenous
- Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
- White
- Two or more races/Multiracial
- Option not listed above
- Write-in option
- Prefer not to answer
Sexual Orientation:
- Bisexual
- Gay
- Heterosexual
- Lesbian
- Option not listed above
- Write-in option
- Prefer not to answer
Transgender:
- No
- Yes
- Option not listed above
- Write-in option
- Prefer not to answer