The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission requests employment practice data from 20 law firms to increase diversity, equity and inclusion.
The committee’s representative chairperson, Andrea Lucas, has written to businesses seeking more information about the DEI program, which may violate Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Some companies have legal challenges in President Donald Trump’s policies targeting DEI, or have connections with his political adversaries. Perkins Coie; Hogan Lovells; Rope & Grey; And Wilmer Hale is one of the companies that currently represent the plaintiffs in lawsuits against the Trump administration.
Lucas said some companies have issued official statements expressing their commitment to workforce diversity. At least two companies had numerical goals to recruit lawyers based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity.
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The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission requests data from 20 law firms on employment practices related to diversity, equity and inclusion. (Getty Images)
She expressed concern that corporate employment practices may involve illegal, different treatments in terms of employment, as well as illegal restrictions, separations and classifications, based on race, gender and other protected characteristics.
“EEOC is ready to eradicate discrimination in places where it could raise the head, including our country’s elite law firms,” Lucas said in a statement. “No one is beyond the law. It’s certainly not a private bar.”
The letter requested information about internships, scholarships, fellowships, and corporate employment and compensation practices that companies provide to law students.
Lucas also sought the name, gender and race of all lawyers who each had worked for or applied for, since 2019.
Some of the information was asked to be included in a “searchable Excel spreadsheet.”
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EEOC’s representative chairperson Andrea Lucas has written to businesses seeking more information about DEI programs that may violate Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act (Andrew Harrer/Getty Images)
The EEOC can investigate the employment practices of a company and file a lawsuit over allegations of discrimination, but only after the worker or one of the five commissioners file a formal complaint. The agency did not indicate that Lucas filed a complaint against any of the companies.
Trump is trying to eliminate DEI programs across the country, including the federal government, higher education and the private sector.
The president also took action against well-known law firms over DEI practices.
Trump issued an executive order this month targeting the assertive internal diversity policies and previous work for political opponents of Porkins Coie and two companies, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. The order revoked security clearance for corporate lawyers and restricted government access and federal contract work.
The order targeting Perkinskoy also directed Lucas to “review the practices of large, influential or industry-leading law firms,” despite the committee being designed to operate independently of the White House.
President Donald Trump is trying to eliminate DEI programs across the country, including the federal government, higher education and the private sector. (Getty Images)
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Perkins Koy sued on allegations that the order violated its rights under the US Constitution. The judge temporarily blocked some of the orders last week.
Some companies have previously adopted policies to encourage diversity from outside law firms.
In a letter, Lucas asked the law firm to identify clients since 2019 who have either had “diversity requirements” or who have stated their employee staffing preferences. She also called for the company’s actions according to client requirements, including the preparation of relevant documents.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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