Racial and ethnic minorities make up 34 percent of the U.S. population, according to America.gov, but a 2009 study by Law.com shows that they make up less than 15 percent of the country’s practicing attorneys. As this gap continues to widen, Law school diversity becomes more important than ever.

The racial and ethnic disparity is clearly seen in the distribution of college degrees. In 2007-08, 1,563,069 bachelor’s degrees were awarded. Of those earned degrees, only 340,394 were awarded to minorities, according to National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The ABA states that, "It is this disproportion that results in homogenous law school classrooms, and eventually law firms and practices.

Law school diversity is so highly important because of the way in which it enriches and deepens the learning experience. It strengthens the community, bringing together diverse perspectives and experiences to cultivate invaluable lessons that are vital for successful law application. Out of the halls of law schools around the country, diverse organizations and industries will arise. In part, it will be a product of diversity among their peers that the students will generate new ideas and forward thinking that will allow those organizations and firms to be successful.

As this hot button issue continues to gain momentum, it is hard to not notice the ethnic and racial inconsistencies that plague our institutes of higher education. Notably, there is a major crisis in the legal profession as minorities still have lower application, enrollment and graduation rates in U.S. law schools. In 2008-09, the total JD enrollment was 142,922, with minority enrollment at 31,368, according to the ABA. For that same year, the total number of JD degrees awarded in 2007-2008 was 43,588, and only 9,631 of those were awarded to minorities, their statistics show.

In the past decade, minority law school enrollment has hovered around 19-21% of all law school students, according to the ABA. Hopefully, we can see that number increase to not only boost law school diversity, but enhance and strengthen the lives and education of our future law practitioners.