In 1989, the Diversity in the Profession Committee, formerly known as the Opportunities for Minorities in the Profession Committee, was created by then State Bar President Darrell Jordan of Dallas. Its purpose was to enhance opportunities for minorities in the legal profession and to increase minority involvement in the bar. Just one year after its inception, the State Bar institutionalized the committee as a standing committee, and its members successfully worked with the State Bar Board of Directors to initiate an ethnicity survey of bar membership, create a permanent staff position dedicated exclusively to minority affairs, and approve the support for diversity in State Bar grievance committees.

Building from such a strong foundation of unique ideas and individuals, the Committee was able to continue to turn its goals into reality through projects like 1993's Statement of Goals for the Hiring and Retention of Minority Lawyers, and 1997's Symposium for Excellence in the Profession: Focus on Diversity. Since 1993, however, the flagship project of the Committee has been the Texas Minority Counsel Program.

The TMCP brings minority and women attorneys together with representatives of corporate and governmental legal departments to discuss outside counsel opportunities and earn valuable CLE credit. Since 1995, the TMCP has grown to attract more than 500 attendees, over 100 sponsoring law firms and corporations, and provide approximately 200 Counsel Connections. The program is considered to be the largest networking event for minority lawyers in Texas.

The Committee also spearheads the annual Texas Minority Attorney Program, a CLE and networking event geared towards minority and women solo and small firm practitioners.

In 2002 the Committee adopted its current name, the Diversity in the Profession Committee, to reflect the changing demographics of the state of Texas. Not lost, though, was the Committee's continual focus on promoting and pursuing new prospects and opportunities for all minority attorneys.