The California Minority Counsel Program’s mission is to promote diversity among the state’s attorney population, and thereby advance a more inclusive and just legal profession. Although minorities comprise 54% of the state population, they are hugely underrepresented at all levels of the legal profession. In 2001, California State Bar estimates that only 17% of the state’s attorneys were people of color. This percentage is dramatically lower for lawyers in leadership roles such as General Counsel, law firm partners and associates, and judges. CMCP was founded in 1989 to address this disparity. As the state grows increasingly more diverse, it is imperative to have lawyers of different backgrounds to understand and serve the needs of these incredibly diverse communities and ensure a more inclusive legal profession. In recent years, CMCP’s work has become even more critical as the number of law students of color in the state’s public law schools has dropped precipitously after the passage of Proposition 209.

CMCP, based on the American Bar Association’s Minority Demonstration Project, was founded when Wells Fargo Bank, First Interstate Bank, Bank of America, Chevron and Pacific Telesis Group united to become the initial participants in the Program. The founders formed a Steering Committee and obtained a funding grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation, with the Bar Association of San Francisco providing the Program’s administrative staff. CMCP is now entirely self-funded through annual contributions by its membership and event revenues.