Twenty major law firms received letters from the Trump administration’s Equal Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on Monday inquiring about their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.
The letters from Acting Chair Andrea Lucas ask the firms to provide information detailing their DEI recruitment policies, contending that their practices could have violated civil rights law by discriminating against job applicants.
“The EEOC is prepared to root out discrimination anywhere it may rear its head, including in our nation’s elite law firms,” Lucas, a staunch opponent of DEI, remarked. “No one is above the law—and certainly not the private bar.”
Cooley, one of the law firms hit by the EEOC probe, outlined its demographic goals in a now-deleted graphic scrubbed from its website. The image, referenced by the EEOC in its letter, explains that the firm sought to increase its “diversity among lawyers” from 26% to 32% from 2020 to 2026, also boosting the number of women in the partnership and the “diversity among managers” and directors during the same period of time.
The EEOC’s letters ask each firm whether they engaged in anti-white, anti-male discrimination or explicitly instructed firm members or recruiters to avoid hiring members of certain demographic groups. “At any point since 2019, did any member of the firm indicate … that the firm was not seeking male or white candidates or candidates of any other particular race, ethnicity, sex, or another protected characteristic?”
The letters similarly asked if specific racial or demographic groups were favored in the hiring or recruitment processes. “Did any member of the firm indicate … that the firm was seeking black, Hispanic, or female candidates, ‘diverse’ candidates, or candidates of another particular race(s), ethnicities, sex, or another protected characteristic?”
“Many major law firms operate … diversity internship or diversity fellowship programs, or provide certain summer associates with additional funds characterized as a diversity ‘scholarship,’ ‘bonus,’ ‘stipend,’ or ‘award,’” the letters go on to state.
The firms targeted include Perkins Coie, Latham & Watkins, and WilmerHale. They have been instructed to provide information on their DEI programs, fellowships, and recruitment operations by April 15.
