November 2025

The information provided in the NALP Directory of Legal Employers provides an excellent resource for students and candidates to learn about the organization. The demographics section is an essential snapshot of an organization's environment, diversity and culture.

How to collect demographic information

Visual surveys may be the most commonly used method of demographic data collection, but they are also the least accurate. You can help ensure accuracy by allowing students and attorneys to self-identify for all the demographic categories, including gender identity, LGBTQ+, and ethnicity.

The most important point to remember in collecting demographic information is the need to respect an individual's choice about whether to self-identify. Collecting demographic information by anonymous questionnaire allows the process to be impartial and free of judgments.

How to report demographic information

All of NALP’s demographic categories, including the LGBTQ+, veteran, and persons with disabilities categories, are required fields. The acceptable entries in these fields are numerals (including 0) and the abbreviations "NC" for "not collected" and "UNK" for "unknown." Please note that there is comment box in the demographics section that will allow you to provide any additional breakouts, comments or definitions regarding your lawyers or categories as needed, including individuals who choose not to identify.

NALP uses the federal race/ethnicity demographic categories in the NALP Directory of Legal Employers. The categories are listed below, and for your reference have been annotated with the definitions published by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in March of 2024.* The most significant update for 2026 is that we are adding a new race/ethnicity category — Middle Eastern or North African — aligning with updated standards and definitions released in 2024 by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and ensuring our data reflects the full diversity of the legal profession.

• Asian: Individuals with origins in any of the original peoples of Central or East Asia, Southeast Asia, or South Asia, including, for example, Chinese, Asian Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese.
• Black or African American: Individuals with origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa, including, for example, African American, Jamaican, Haitian, Nigerian, Ethiopian, and Somali.
• Hispanic or Latino/a/x: Includes individuals of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Salvadoran, Cuban, Dominican, Guatemalan, and other Central or South American or Spanish culture or origin.
• Middle Eastern or North African: Individuals with origins in any of the original peoples of the Middle East or North Africa, including, for example, Lebanese, Iranian, Egyptian, Syrian, Iraqi, and Israeli.
• Native American or Alaska Native: Individuals with origins in any of the original peoples of North, Central, and South America, including, for example, Navajo Nation, Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, Native Village of Barrow Inupiat Traditional Government, Nome Eskimo Community, Aztec, and Maya.
• Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: Individuals with origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands, including, for example, Native Hawaiian, Samoan, Chamorro, Tongan, Fijian, and Marshallese.
• White: Individuals with origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, including, for example, English, German, Irish, Italian, Polish, and Scottish.
• Multiracial and/or Multiethnic: Lawyers who self-report as belonging to more than one racial category should be reported in the “Multiracial and/or Multiethnic” category only. Do not report them in each racial category in which they identify.

*For those looking for more information, the Federal Register has the official OMB notice.

Special notes on the importance of collecting LGBTQ+ demographics

Although the federal government does not collect information on LBGTQ+ status, NALP has long included this demographic category on the NALP Form and began collecting it on the NDLS form in 2011. Only by fully reporting on all demographic categories, including gay and lesbian information, will an organization provide an accurate picture of the diversity of its work force or enrollment. Moreover, client requests for demographic data are becoming more common as corporations focus on diversity; thus, not providing this information could cost your organization an important client. Beginning in 2011 this information will be collected for law schools as well as for employers.

Accurately completing the form is an inexpensive but very real way to support the gay and lesbian attorneys in your organization and is an effective tool in the recruitment and retention of diverse attorneys. Further, it is better to report “0” than to list “NC” (not collected) or “UNK” (unknown). By listing zero you are indicating to law students and attorneys that you have conducted a thoughtful inquiry into the representation of LGBTQ+ employees at your workplace and that you would likely welcome applications from qualified students and professionals who do identify as LGBTQ+. A report that states that the information is not collected or is unknown suggests that your organization does not recognize or support gay and lesbian attorneys or students.