The Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms

What The Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms does

The Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms is a nonprofit, membership-based organization founded in 1987 by ten minority lawyers in Chicago, Illinois. It seeks racial and ethnic diversity in the legal profession by collaborating with up to 50 of the largest Chicago law firms — over 40 currently in membership — and corporate legal department partners to drive sustainable institutional change, provide professional development, and cultivate community among minority lawyers. The organization serves as an intermediary and program operator rather than a product vendor, with its primary revenue stream being annual membership dues paid by large national firms with Chicago offices and Chicago-based firms with 40+ attorneys.

Its core offerings are structured programs and events rather than software products. The flagship programming portfolio includes Pathway to Partnership (a business development program for senior associates), Rate My Pitch (mock pitch sessions connecting firm attorneys with in-house counsel), Associate Board Boot Camp and CLE programs for junior attorneys, Corporate CLEs, the Mentorship Academy, and LegalTrek — a summer pipeline program for undergraduates from historically underrepresented groups co-run with DePaul University College of Law. Its only digital product is the Diverse Attorney Directory, a WordPress-based searchable database of minority attorneys filterable by name, firm, practice area, and language. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and Associate Board composed of attorneys from member firms, with a lean staff of approximately 6 employees led by Executive Director Anna Lloyd. The organization publishes public statements on legal diversity policy issues, including a statement on the U.S. Supreme Court's affirmative action decision.

Name

The Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms

Legal name

Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms

Website

https://chicagocommittee.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 1987 that advances racial and ethnic diversity in the legal profession by collaborating with 40+ large Chicago law firms and corporate legal departments to deliver professional development, mentorship, and networking programs for diverse attorneys.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Diversity & Inclusion Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAFAC

Racial & Ethnic Justice Organizations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

SECONDARYBPAGAFAI

Criminal Justice Reform & Legal System Advocacy

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

Keywords

• Legal diversity programs
• Minority attorney advancement
• Law firm inclusion
• Attorney mentorship programs
• Legal professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Law Firm Membership Dues: Annual dues paid by member law firms. Membership is open to large national firms with Chicago offices and Chicago firms with 40+ attorneys. The organization works with up to 50 of the largest law firms in Chicago.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms is a nonprofit membership organization that convenes Chicago's largest law firms and corporate legal departments to advance racial and ethnic diversity in the legal profession. It sells and delivers member-supported programming, mentorship, leadership training, continuing legal education, networking events, and a Diverse Attorney Directory aimed at recruiting, retaining, and promoting minority attorneys at partner-track and board-ready levels.

Product overview

The Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms operates as a nonprofit membership organization offering a portfolio of professional development programs and networking services for diverse attorneys. The core offerings include the Diverse Attorney Directory (a searchable database of minority attorneys), the Pathway to Partnership business development program, LegalTrek (a pipeline program with DePaul University College of Law), Mentorship Academy, and various CLE programs including Rate My Pitch, Associate Board Boot Camp, and Corporate CLEs. The organization also hosts events such as the Partner Dinner and Chicago Committee Connect meetings for member firms. These programs work together to advance racial and ethnic diversity in the legal profession through networking, mentorship, and professional development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pathway to Partnership

Quantifiable outcome

• Working with up to 50 of the largest law firms in Chicago
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DePaul University College of LawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Chicago Committee partners with DePaul University College of Law to host LegalTrek, a summer program for undergraduate students interested in the legal profession. The program aims to diversify the legal profession by encouraging and supporting college students from historically underrepresented groups to attend law school. During six class sessions, students learn about practice areas, law school applications, and LSAT prep, with attorneys volunteering as mentors and coaches.
• Illinois State Bar AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsored a CLE panel discussion concerning the federal judiciary's response to recent executive orders, featuring professors from Northwestern and University of Chicago law schools.
• Asian American Bar Association of ChicagominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsored a CLE panel discussion concerning the federal judiciary's response to recent executive orders.
• Leadership Counsel on Legal DiversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsored a CLE panel discussion concerning the federal judiciary's response to recent executive orders.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Chicago Bar Association: Large general-membership bar association for the Chicago metropolitan area. While not diversity-focused, it provides overlapping programming (CLEs, networking) that competes for time from the same attorney base.
• Illinois State Bar Association: Statewide bar association serving Illinois attorneys with CLEs, networking, and member services. Co-sponsorship partner with the Chicago Committee (per federal judiciary CLE), operating in the same regional market with overlapping programming.

Broad incumbents

• Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA): National bar association for Hispanic attorneys, with affiliate bar associations including Chicago-area chapters. Comparable mission of advancing diversity and providing professional development for Hispanic lawyers.
• Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA): National nonprofit advancing diversity in the legal profession through corporate legal department engagement, awards, and programming. Comparable to the Chicago Committee in mission (advancing racial/ethnic diversity in law) but operates at national scale and focuses on in-house counsel.
• National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL): National membership organization advancing women in the legal profession through programming, awards, and professional development. Similar nonprofit membership/advocacy model aimed at diversifying the legal profession.
• National Bar Association: Oldest and largest national association of predominantly African American lawyers, attorneys, judges, and law students. Shares the Chicago Committee's mission of supporting minority attorneys but operates as a broader membership and advocacy body across practice areas.
• National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA): National bar association representing the interests of Asian Pacific American attorneys, with local affiliates including Chicago-area groups. Shares the Chicago Committee's professional development and network-building model for minority attorneys.
• National LGBT Bar Association: National bar association for LGBT legal professionals with chapters and programming focused on diversity, inclusion, and professional development. Similar nonprofit membership model and shared audience of law firm attorneys seeking community and career support.
• Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD): National organization working to build a more diverse legal profession through pipeline programs, leadership development, and professional growth initiatives. Already a programming partner of the Chicago Committee (per co-sponsored CLE), it competes for member attention from the same large law firms.

Direct peers

• Asian American Bar Association of Chicago (AABAC): Chicago-based bar association serving Asian American attorneys with similar programming (CLEs, networking, mentorship). Co-sponsorship partner with the Chicago Committee, indicating close mission alignment and direct competition for member firm engagement in the same city.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/chicommittee
• Facebookfacebook.com/Chicago-Committee-on-Minorities-in-Large-Law-Firms-128509230565069
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-chicago-committee-on-minorities-in-large-law-firms
• Instagraminstagram.com/thechicagocommittee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms