While the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission targeted law firms’ own DEI efforts and metrics in letters sent to 20 firms earlier this month, the agency also asked all firms to provide information on their relationships with two nonprofits that seek to increase opportunities for underrepresented attorneys and law students.
The letters, which expressed Acting Chair Andrea Lucas’ concern that firms were violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 via their DEI efforts and instructed firms to preserve relevant documents, all referenced firms’ participation with programs run by Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) and the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity.