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Large US law firms quizzed over DEI hiring

A total of 20 US law firms have been contacted by the Trump administration.

The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has written to the firms requesting detailed information about hiring policies, amid ongoing scrutiny of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices.

The EEOC maintains that some law firms' DEI policies could be in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, specifically laws that prohibit discrimination based on race, sex, or other protected characteristics.

It states that such practices may have caused unlawful discrimination, either by limiting employment opportunities, or by promoting segregation within firms based on these characteristics.

The law firms named in the letters include A&O Shearman, Hogan Lovells, Freshfields, and Perkins Coie.

EEOC's acting chair Andrea Lucas said that no one is above the law, including private firms.

Discrimination

She reiterated the commission’s commitment to addressing discrimination wherever it occurs, even within elite law firms.

On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order seeking to end federal funding for "equity-related" grants and contracts.

The International Bar Association (IBA) recently condemned what it called the ‘erosion of the rule of law’ in the US.

This move is expected to prompt a re-evaluation of DEI policies at the firms involved.