Black Law Interns in Decline Under Pressure From Conservatives

The share of Black summer associates at US law firms shrank to its lowest level in more than a decade against the backdrop of a conservative push to end race- and gender-based preferences in school admissions and hiring, including a specific effort against legal internships.

The summer of 2025 marked the third straight year in which the proportion of Black summer associates declined, representing a 3.5 percentage point drop since a peak of about 12% in 2022, according to an annual study released Tuesday by the National Association for Law Placement. Overall, the proportion of summer associates of color fell by 5.5 percentage points, to about 38%, the lowest since 2020.