{"id":107996,"date":"2025-02-08T20:03:14","date_gmt":"2025-02-09T04:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/02\/08\/biglaw-firm-quietly-begins-purging-diversity-language-from-website\/"},"modified":"2025-02-08T20:03:14","modified_gmt":"2025-02-09T04:03:14","slug":"biglaw-firm-quietly-begins-purging-diversity-language-from-website","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/02\/08\/biglaw-firm-quietly-begins-purging-diversity-language-from-website\/","title":{"rendered":"Biglaw Firm Quietly Begins Purging Diversity Language From Website"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is the story we hoped wouldn\u2019t happen, but let\u2019s be honest \u2014 of course it did. It was always going to happen. <\/p>\n

Between the administration publicly threatening criminal action against private sector companies over diversity initiatives<\/a> and law firms rushing to curry favor with the White House<\/a>, it was only a matter of time before a Biglaw firm tried to memory-hole prior diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.<\/p>\n

As we\u2019ve monitored Biglaw websites over the couple weeks since Trump returned to power, we took heart every time we noticed that a major firm still hadn\u2019t tried to subtly purge its public-facing site of any mention of diversity. Unfortunately, though perhaps inevitably, the legal community is no longer pitching a perfect game.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s play a game of Photo Hunt! Here\u2019s a screenshot of the K&L Gates<\/a> website today:<\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Can you spot the difference from this image captured on January 30 from the Wayback Machine:<\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yes, the \u201cThe\u201d is missing! But probably more importantly the \u201cOur Commitment to Diversity\u201d link at the top of the whole page. <\/p>\n

While this was the only major change to the homepage, the deletions and heavy edits didn\u2019t stop there. Over on the \u201cAbout\u201d page, the December 19, 2024, version of the website looked like this:<\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This morning\u2019s version of the About page looks like this:<\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And the changes aren\u2019t limited to word choices. The entire \u201cDiversity and Inclusion\u201d-turned-\u201cOpportunity and Inclusion\u201d page has changed. The old website included visual representations backing up the firm\u2019s commitment. For example:<\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The accomplishments of these attorneys are now deleted. The page still offers general statements about inclusion, but any specific claims about individual achievements are gone, hiding from public view any way to measure the firm\u2019s success in this area. The page also linked to \u201ca robust educational toolkit\u201d developed by the firm and a block set off in all caps recognizing that \u201cWE PLEDGE TO FOLLOW THE MANSFIELD RULE.\u201d <\/p>\n

And for what? If firms think scrubbing diversity efforts will shield them, they should ask Target how that worked out. The retail giant backtracked on its public DEI commitments<\/a> \u2014 only to get sued by Trump\u2019s fellow travelers anyway<\/a>. These people won\u2019t be satisfied until the entire workforce looks like a 1950s country club. It undermines firm culture for nothing.<\/p>\n

Even the Diversity and Inclusion Committee has been scrubbed. Now rebranded as the Opportunity and Inclusion Committee and its mission statement reads\u2026 a little differently.<\/p>\n

By way of comparison, this is the old description:<\/p>\n

\n

These global committees oversee robust budgets and our employee resource groups (ERGs), which include groups for women lawyers; LGBT employees and allies; lawyers of color; working parents; veterans; and lawyers with disabilities. These groups spearhead programs ranging from women\u2019s business mentorship training in Portland and promoting mental health awareness in London and Melbourne, to assisting transgender individuals with name changes in Melbourne, Pittsburgh and Sydney.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And this is the new description:<\/p>\n

\n

These global committees oversee robust budgets and our taskforces, which include groups that explore ways to best support and utilize the unique and various perspectives of the professionals within our community that contribute to the overall success of the firm and our clients.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Erasing \u201cwomen lawyers; LGBT employees and allies; lawyers of color; working parents; veterans; and lawyers with disabilities\u201d seems significant. In a different submenu, the site continues to identify a \u201cWomen in the Profession Committee, Opportunity & Inclusion Committee, LGBTQ+ Subcommittee, Disability Inclusion Taskforce, and Veterans Taskforce\u201d but at the top level, these specific issues are scrubbed into vague generalities.<\/p>\n

As an aside, there\u2019s a sad comedy watching conservatives on social media angrily pushback against the idea that \u201cDEI\u201d ever meant working parents, or veterans, or folks with disabilities. The whole term was a mostly corporate buzz effort to lump numerous inclusion efforts under the same administrative roof, but conservatives are adamant that this can\u2019t be true. Because regardless of every DEI mission statement ever written, they just wanted it to be a socially acceptable way to use racial slurs.<\/p>\n

As the new website says, \u201cWe will continue to listen, learn, and work together to build a culture where everyone is welcome, included, and has the opportunity to demonstrate their skills.<\/em>\u201d I\u2019d be interested to hear what they\u2019re hearing and learning after these edits. Frankly, I\u2019d be interested to hear what the Committee had to say about these changes in the first place \u2014 or if they were even consulted.<\/p>\n

We contacted the firm for comment and haven\u2019t heard back. That said, this is one of those stories where the firm can\u2019t really explain away the impact of the documents on their face and the impression it gives to an outside reader \u2014 and even more so to an inside reader working as an attorney or staff member. That\u2019s why nothing is \u201ccosmetic\u201d when talking about this work. It\u2019s all a series of signals up and down the firm hierarchy and out toward clients.<\/p>\n

Giving the firm the benefit of the doubt, leadership likely expects the committee and the firm as a whole to maintain business as usual. They probably would argue that these are purely \u201ccosmetic\u201d changes and they remain committed to these causes even if they\u2019ve pushed that commitment to harder-to-find corners of the site.<\/p>\n

But when we\u2019re talking about inclusion, shunting people and their accomplishments off to the side is the problem<\/em>. The whole point is to build a workplace where traditionally marginalized or otherwise overlooked people feel like they\u2019re part of the team. When an employer signals that they\u2019re afraid to publicly acknowledge women and minorities and LGBT folks and every other employee covered by the diversity, equity, and inclusion umbrella, that\u2019s ballgame. The trust is fractured, and the message is clear: diversity is fine, just as long as no one can see it.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Headshot\"Joe Patrice<\/a>\u00a0is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer<\/a>. Feel free to\u00a0email<\/a> any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0or Bluesky<\/a> if you\u2019re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The post Biglaw Firm Quietly Begins Purging Diversity Language From Website<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is the story we hoped wouldn\u2019t happen, but let\u2019s be honest \u2014 of course it did. It was always going to happen. <\/p>\n

Between the administration publicly threatening criminal action against private sector companies over diversity initiatives<\/a> and law firms rushing to curry favor with the White House<\/a>, it was only a matter of time before a Biglaw firm tried to memory-hole prior diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.<\/p>\n

As we\u2019ve monitored Biglaw websites over the couple weeks since Trump returned to power, we took heart every time we noticed that a major firm still hadn\u2019t tried to subtly purge its public-facing site of any mention of diversity. Unfortunately, though perhaps inevitably, the legal community is no longer pitching a perfect game.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s play a game of Photo Hunt! Here\u2019s a screenshot of the K&L Gates<\/a> website today:<\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Can you spot the difference from this image captured on January 30 from the Wayback Machine:<\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yes, the \u201cThe\u201d is missing! But probably more importantly the \u201cOur Commitment to Diversity\u201d link at the top of the whole page. <\/p>\n

While this was the only major change to the homepage, the deletions and heavy edits didn\u2019t stop there. Over on the \u201cAbout\u201d page, the December 19, 2024, version of the website looked like this:<\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This morning\u2019s version of the About page looks like this:<\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And the changes aren\u2019t limited to word choices. The entire \u201cDiversity and Inclusion\u201d-turned-\u201cOpportunity and Inclusion\u201d page has changed. The old website included visual representations backing up the firm\u2019s commitment. For example:<\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The accomplishments of these attorneys are now deleted. The page still offers general statements about inclusion, but any specific claims about individual achievements are gone, hiding from public view any way to measure the firm\u2019s success in this area. The page also linked to \u201ca robust educational toolkit\u201d developed by the firm and a block set off in all caps recognizing that \u201cWE PLEDGE TO FOLLOW THE MANSFIELD RULE.\u201d <\/p>\n

And for what? If firms think scrubbing diversity efforts will shield them, they should ask Target how that worked out. The retail giant backtracked on its public DEI commitments<\/a> \u2014 only to get sued by Trump\u2019s fellow travelers anyway<\/a>. These people won\u2019t be satisfied until the entire workforce looks like a 1950s country club. It undermines firm culture for nothing.<\/p>\n

Even the Diversity and Inclusion Committee has been scrubbed. Now rebranded as the Opportunity and Inclusion Committee and its mission statement reads\u2026 a little differently.<\/p>\n

By way of comparison, this is the old description:<\/p>\n

\n

These global committees oversee robust budgets and our employee resource groups (ERGs), which include groups for women lawyers; LGBT employees and allies; lawyers of color; working parents; veterans; and lawyers with disabilities. These groups spearhead programs ranging from women\u2019s business mentorship training in Portland and promoting mental health awareness in London and Melbourne, to assisting transgender individuals with name changes in Melbourne, Pittsburgh and Sydney.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And this is the new description:<\/p>\n

\n

These global committees oversee robust budgets and our taskforces, which include groups that explore ways to best support and utilize the unique and various perspectives of the professionals within our community that contribute to the overall success of the firm and our clients.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Erasing \u201cwomen lawyers; LGBT employees and allies; lawyers of color; working parents; veterans; and lawyers with disabilities\u201d seems significant. In a different submenu, the site continues to identify a \u201cWomen in the Profession Committee, Opportunity & Inclusion Committee, LGBTQ+ Subcommittee, Disability Inclusion Taskforce, and Veterans Taskforce\u201d but at the top level, these specific issues are scrubbed into vague generalities.<\/p>\n

As an aside, there\u2019s a sad comedy watching conservatives on social media angrily pushback against the idea that \u201cDEI\u201d ever meant working parents, or veterans, or folks with disabilities. The whole term was a mostly corporate buzz effort to lump numerous inclusion efforts under the same administrative roof, but conservatives are adamant that this can\u2019t be true. Because regardless of every DEI mission statement ever written, they just wanted it to be a socially acceptable way to use racial slurs.<\/p>\n

As the new website says, \u201cWe will continue to listen, learn, and work together to build a culture where everyone is welcome, included, and has the opportunity to demonstrate their skills.<\/em>\u201d I\u2019d be interested to hear what they\u2019re hearing and learning after these edits. Frankly, I\u2019d be interested to hear what the Committee had to say about these changes in the first place \u2014 or if they were even consulted.<\/p>\n

We contacted the firm for comment and haven\u2019t heard back. That said, this is one of those stories where the firm can\u2019t really explain away the impact of the documents on their face and the impression it gives to an outside reader \u2014 and even more so to an inside reader working as an attorney or staff member. That\u2019s why nothing is \u201ccosmetic\u201d when talking about this work. It\u2019s all a series of signals up and down the firm hierarchy and out toward clients.<\/p>\n

Giving the firm the benefit of the doubt, leadership likely expects the committee and the firm as a whole to maintain business as usual. They probably would argue that these are purely \u201ccosmetic\u201d changes and they remain committed to these causes even if they\u2019ve pushed that commitment to harder-to-find corners of the site.<\/p>\n

But when we\u2019re talking about inclusion, shunting people and their accomplishments off to the side is the problem<\/em>. The whole point is to build a workplace where traditionally marginalized or otherwise overlooked people feel like they\u2019re part of the team. When an employer signals that they\u2019re afraid to publicly acknowledge women and minorities and LGBT folks and every other employee covered by the diversity, equity, and inclusion umbrella, that\u2019s ballgame. The trust is fractured, and the message is clear: diversity is fine, just as long as no one can see it.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Headshot\"Joe Patrice<\/a>\u00a0is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer<\/a>. Feel free to\u00a0email<\/a> any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0or Bluesky<\/a> if you\u2019re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is the story we hoped wouldn\u2019t happen, but let\u2019s be honest \u2014 of course it did. It was always going to happen. Between the administration publicly threatening criminal action against private sector companies over diversity initiatives and law firms rushing to curry favor with the White House, it was only a matter of time […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":107937,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-107996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Headshot-300x200-bBqClJ.jpeg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107996"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107996\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}