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I mean a lot of people with engineering or hard science backgrounds go into IP because it’s the most natural fit, and Asian Americans are disproportionately represented in those majors. So firms end up hiring a lot of them into patent and tech groups. Once that pipeline exists it sort of perpetuates itself.
Coach
Check out ABA/NAPABA reports on Asian Americans in the law, at apaportraitproject.org
The 2022 report states that Asian American women are more likely to be associates and less likely to be partners. 2020 data showed that Asian American women made up 7.4% of associates and 1.8% partners, compared to 5.1% and 2.5% for Asian American men, respectively. (p. 30)
So your observations are consistent with the data on associates, though Asian American men are slightly better represented as partners.
In my culture, and it will obviously differ from culture to culture within the Asian population since we’re not a unilateral group, STEM is seen as the natural path for men and the humanities and social sciences will be seen as more feminine/less serious. Of course law alone is a very serious career path but it’s also not something you can choose in college or in high school—naturally, more men have already chosen their path in STEM by the time they’re about to graduate college.
This sort of thing perpetuates itself. Speaking from my own experience, my family and even my parents were more likely to encourage their children to go into STEM because many others in their community already worked in those fields. Therefore, they thought their children could lean more on their community to navigate schools and the job market. Since Asians were underrepresented in law, they were less compelled to recommend that area.
STEM (at least in our community) is thought to be more stable and a safer bet. I think the Great Recession made those in our community without a ton of exposure to the field to be even more hesitant to law.
As others have mentioned, IP/tech groups feed on attorneys with a STEM background, so that explains the representation there
If you want a hard counterpoint just look up the associates at NYC big law offices. Sample a few V20 offices and your mind will be changed.
Coach
Interesting. Not at all true of my more international firm
Probably more in IP/Tech because of a undergrad in STEM but I have fellow brethren in all other practice groups. It might seem lower because Asians only make up something like 6% of attorneys nationwide and heavily concentrated on the coasts.
We are a rare breed and I always joke around that we didn’t make the cut for med school.