170 GCs Pen Open Letter to Law Firms: Improve on Diversity or Lose Our Business
Top lawyers at major companies banded together to craft an ultimatum after seeing "largely male and largely white" new law firm partner classes at Paul Weiss and other firms.
January 27, 2019 at 03:00 PM
6 minute read
The original version of this story was published on The American Lawyer
More than 170 general counsel and corporate legal officers have signed an open letter to big law firms, lamenting new partner classes that “remain largely male and largely white.” The letter says their companies will prioritize their legal spend on those firms that commit to diversity and inclusion.
The letter, released Sunday, has been signed by chief legal officers in a variety of industries, including those in technology, retail, media, hospitality and financial services. The companies range from small tech outfits to large corporations, such as Google Fiber, Etsy, Heineken USA, Chobani Global Holdings, Waymo, Lyft, Vox Media, S&P Global Ratings and Booz Allen Hamilton. (ALM Media's general counsel is also among the signatories.)
“We, as a group, will direct our substantial outside counsel spend to those law firms that manifest results with respect to diversity and inclusion, in addition to providing the highest degree of quality representation. We sincerely hope that you and your firm will be among those that demonstrate this commitment,” reads the letter.
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