FAQS

What makes the NAWL Survey different?

The NAWL Survey is the only national survey that collects important industry benchmarking data on the career progression and compensation of women in law firms.  NAWL’s Annual Report on the Retention and Promotion of Women in Law Firms , which incorporates the survey results, has been cited in publications such as The New York Times, American Lawyer, Bloomberg, Crain’s, Law 360, The Washington Post, and many others.  

Past Annual Reports featured in:

Why should we participate in the survey?

The NAWL Survey has proven to be not only an important source of information about the state of women in law firms, but also an important tool for law firms to benchmark their own success and learn what policies lead to real change. Your participation will increase both the usefulness of the aggregate data collected and the value of the survey as a resource for law firms and the profession as a whole. In addition, because the survey questions track emerging thought leadership, the process of completing the survey exposes participating firms to new diversity and inclusion practices and trends that are developing among AmLaw 200 firms and the broader industry.    

What will be involved in participating in this survey?

As part of the survey, you will be asked to complete questions about your law firm’s demographics at various levels, with an emphasis on the distribution of men and women, as well as the programming directed at women lawyers, hours, and compensation. Some of these questions may require some research, but we’ve tried to make the questions as efficient to answer as possible. Please note: no identifying information is collected about any individuals in your law firm.

What about the confidentiality and anonymity of the data?

All participation is voluntary, and you may skip individual questions, although we hope that you will complete the entire survey. Your firm name is the only identifying information submitted as part of the survey and it is kept strictly confidential. Only limited members of the NAWL staff responsible for survey distribution will know if your firm has completed the survey or not, and this is only so that we can follow up during the survey distribution process with firms in various stages of completion. The survey administrator responsible for viewing and analyzing the data will not know which firms the data came from, and all results are reported in anonymous aggregates that do not allow for tracing any information back to a particular firm.

Past Surveys