The Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals

What The Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals does

The Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals (ALFDP) is a New York-headquartered nonprofit professional association founded in January 2006 to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the legal profession. Its membership comprises approximately 300+ law firms and their DEI professionals — including Chief Diversity Officers, Directors, Managers, and Specialists — across the United States, Canada, and Europe. The organization delivers its services through a MemberClicks-based online portal, monthly M3 virtual meetings, regional chapter gatherings, and a flagship annual conference rotated among major US cities (Los Angeles in November 2024, Atlanta in 2025). Governance is provided by an elected board of member-firm representatives, with Dr. Carol Ross-Burnett serving as the first-ever Executive Director (appointed December 2023) and Operations Manager Jill Kennebrew leading day-to-day staff functions.

ALFDP's revenue model is recurring annual membership dues invoiced to firms, with additional individuals from the same firm able to join subject to a single collective vote; exact pricing tiers are not publicly disclosed and the organization supplements dues through conference sponsorship and event programming. The technology footprint is intentionally light — a Wix-hosted public website and a MemberClicks member portal — reflecting ALFDP's positioning as a community-led association rather than a software platform. Its strategic moat rests on a formalized partnership with the American Bar Association, including co-sponsorship of the ABA Model Diversity Survey (200+ client signatories) and co-hosted industry discussions (250+ participants in June 2023), alongside alliances with the ACC Foundation, Thomson Reuters Institute, Diversity Lab, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, and Lambda Legal.

Name

The Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals

Legal name

Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals

Website

https://alfdp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals (ALFDP) is a New York-based nonprofit association founded in 2006 that serves DEI professionals at 300+ law firms across the US, Canada, and Europe through membership, an annual conference, monthly virtual programming, and regional chapters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Professional Association

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Business Associations (81391)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPACAJAJ

DEI, Equity & Inclusion Advisory

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/HR Consulting & Advisory (HR Strategy, Org Design, Change)

SECONDARYBPACANAE

DEI, Culture & Employee Engagement Training

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Training, Learning & Development Services

SECONDARYBPAHAGAJ

DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) & Belonging Consulting

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Human Capital & Organizational Consulting

Keywords

• Legal diversity professionals
• Law firm inclusion
• Dei professional association
• Legal industry membership
• Diversity equity inclusion

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: ALFDP generates revenue through annual membership dues from law firms and individual DEI professionals. Membership requires paying annual dues (invoiced upon approval). Firms may pay a one-time law firm membership fee if not already members, plus individual annual dues. Multiple diversity professionals from the same firm may join but are limited to one collective vote.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ALFDP is a nonprofit professional association that sells annual memberships to law firms and their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) professionals. Members gain access to a member portal, an annual conference, monthly virtual meetings (M3), webinars, regional chapter events, and volunteer committees. The organization collaborates with the American Bar Association on the Model Diversity Survey to advance DEI across the legal profession.

Product overview

ALFDP operates as a nonprofit professional association providing a unified membership platform for law firm diversity, equity, and inclusion professionals. The core offering combines annual membership access with the ALFDP Member Portal, the signature Annual Conference, regular webinars and virtual events, and member committee participation. Members gain exclusive access to resources, networking across US/Canada/Europe regions, professional development programming, and collaborative opportunities with peers dedicated to advancing DEI in the legal profession.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ALFDP Membership Program Annual membership program that gives law firm DEI professionals access to exclusive resources, networking opportunities, professional development events, webinars, M3 monthly meetings, and a curated member portal. Open to law firms and individuals working in law firms.
• ALFDP Annual Conference Premier annual in-person conference designed exclusively for law firm DEI professionals featuring keynote speakers, workshops, professional development seminars, and networking events. The flagship member acquisition and retention event.
• ALFDP Member Portal Online member portal providing exclusive access to curated DEI resources, content, knowledge-sharing tools, and professional development materials for law firm diversity professionals.
• Webinars and Virtual Events Regular virtual educational programming including monthly M3 professional development meetings, webinars, and online workshops on DEI topics exclusive to members.
• Member Committees Program Volunteer-led committees (Annual Conference, Audit, Elections, Finance, Governance, Membership, Social Media and Communications, Strategic Partnerships, and Programming) that enable members to participate in governance and shape association programming.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200+ client signatories using the ABA Model Diversity Survey co-sponsored by ALFDP
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Bar Association (ABA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 June 2023ALFDP and ABA co-hosted an industry-wide diversity discussion titled 'Performative Art vs. True Commitment: Stakeholders and Change Makers Using Diversity Data' on June 27, 2023. The program featured multiple panels and attracted more than 250 participants from corporations, law firms, and other industry constituents. Topics included Partnering on DEI Strategies and Embedding DEI into Outside Counsel Relationships.
• ACC FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023ALFDP in partnership with the ACC Foundation and Thomson Reuters Institute recently finished a series of workshops focused on findings from the white paper 'Pandemic Nation'.
• Thomson Reuters InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023ALFDP partnered with ACC Foundation and Thomson Reuters Institute on a series of workshops focused on findings from the 'Pandemic Nation' white paper.
• American Bar Association (ABA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 October 2022ALFDP and ABA announced a co-sponsorship and co-branding arrangement for the ABA's Model Diversity Survey (MDS) and its future iterations. The partnership ensures reliable data is available to advance DEI in meaningful ways. The MDS has amassed 200 client signatories. The collaboration helps keep the survey current and useful to clients and law firms in their pursuit of greater diversity.
• Microsoft Law Firm Diversity ProgramminorOthersMicrosoft's Law Firm Diversity Program (LFDP) is an incentive-based program referenced by ALFDP as a case study. The program provides bonuses (2-3% of annual fees) to participating law firms for achieving diversity representation goals. Microsoft reviews and iterates on ALFDP diversity goals annually. Since 2008, the program has tracked partner diversity and diversity on law firm executive/management committees.
• Diversity LabminorOthersDiversity Lab is a legal incubator for innovative ideas referenced by ALFDP as a resource for organizations looking for additional ideas on how to collaborate. They leverage data, behavioral science, design thinking, and technology to develop and test ideas, measure results, and share lessons learned for DEI in the legal profession.
• Leadership Council on Legal DiversityminorOthersReferenced by ALFDP as a source for knowledge sharing and thought leadership for in-house and outside counsel looking to advance DEI industrywide.
• Institute for Inclusion in the Legal ProfessionminorOthersReferenced by ALFDP as a source for knowledge sharing and thought leadership for organizations looking to advance DEI within the legal industry.
• Minority Corporate Counsel AssociationminorOthersReferenced by ALFDP as a source for knowledge sharing and thought leadership for organizations looking to advance DEI within the legal industry.
• National Association of Law PlacementminorOthersReferenced by ALFDP as a source for knowledge sharing and thought leadership for organizations looking to advance DEI within the legal industry.
• Lambda LegalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMany ALFDP members (30+ law firms including Akin Gump, Arnold Porter, Baker Botts, Gibson Dunn, Kirkland & Ellis, Skadden, and others) are pro bono and financial supporters of Lambda Legal, the national legal nonprofit committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of LGBTQ+ individuals and people living with HIV.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Catalyst: A global nonprofit that works with some of the world's most powerful CEOs and leading companies to build workplaces that work for women. Comparable as a broader DEI research and advisory organization that law firms and corporate legal departments also reference.
• National Bar Association: The nation's oldest and largest national network of predominantly Black attorneys and legal professionals. A broader DEI-adjacent legal organization whose diversity mission and law firm engagement partially overlaps with ALFDP.
• Association of Corporate Counsel: The world's largest organization serving in-house counsel, with significant DEI programming and Foundation initiatives. ALFDP has partnered with the ACC Foundation on workshops, indicating overlapping audiences and programming.

Regional players

• The State Bar of California: A mandatory bar association with extensive DEI programming and initiatives for California attorneys and law firms. Comparable as a regional professional body with parallel DEI committee structures and member resources.

Direct peers

• Leadership Council on Legal Diversity: A legal-industry DEI organization focused on advancing diversity in the legal profession through programs for lawyers and law students. Directly competes with ALFDP for the same law firm DEI mindshare, sponsorships, and member-firm engagement.
• Minority Corporate Counsel Association: A long-standing organization advancing diversity in the legal profession, particularly for in-house minority attorneys. ALFDP references MCCA as a thought leadership partner, and the two compete for law firm and corporate DEI engagement.
• Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession: An organization dedicated to advancing inclusion and diversity in the legal profession. ALFDP references IILP as a knowledge-sharing peer, making it a directly comparable member-based DEI organization serving lawyers.
• Diversity Lab: An incubator for innovative DEI ideas in the legal profession, using data, behavioral science, and design thinking. ALFDP explicitly references Diversity Lab as a complementary/competing resource for law firms seeking DEI collaboration.

Emerging players

• Out & Equal: A workplace LGBTQ+ equality organization whose mission intersects with ALFDP's DEI focus and which engages major law firm sponsors. Adjacent peer sharing overlapping DEI training and corporate engagement audiences.
• National Association of Law Placement: An association focused on legal career development and recruitment, providing DEI-related employment data and resources for law firms and law schools. Overlaps with ALFDP on law firm diversity data and recruitment best practices.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alfdp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals