Law firm sued for diversity initiative removes ‘historically underrepresented’ language from program materials
Edward Blum, the conservative activist behind the Supreme Court's affirmative action ruling, accused Morrison & Foerster of discriminating against white applicants.
A prominent American law firm has made a significant change to one of its fellowship programs in the wake of a series of lawsuits targeting diversity initiatives.
According to Reuters, a PDF flyer for Morrison & Foerster’s Keith Wetmore 1L Fellowship for Excellence, Diversity, and Inclusion no longer specifies that the program is only open to Black, Hispanic, Native American, or LGBT candidates. The firm launched the fellowship in 2012 to support law students from “historically underrepresented groups in the legal industry.”
Instead, it now states candidates must “bring a diverse perspective to the firm as a result of your adaptability, cultural fluency, resilience, and life experiences.”
Data for the flyer indicates someone created it on Aug. 30, a week after the American Alliance for Equal Rights, led by Edward Blum, filed lawsuits against it and another sizable law firm, claiming their diversity fellowships unjustly rejected some candidates based on their race.
Blum, the conservative activist who spearheaded the successful U.S. Supreme Court challenge to the consideration of race in college admissions, accused Morrison & Foerster, which has over 1,000 attorneys globally, and Perkins Coie of discriminating against white applicants.
Morrison & Foerster’s fellowship includes a $50,000 stipend and a paid summer associate post, frequently resulting in full-time employment at legal firms with salaries in the six figures following graduation.
The paid fellowships aim to help recruit people of color, a demographic major law firms have struggled to add to their partnership ranks for years.
Perkins Coie, a global law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys and a comparable fellowship, has declared its intention to defend itself, asserting that its dedication to diversity is “steadfast.”
Legal challenges against corporate diversity initiatives have intensified in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling, which resulted from lawsuits Students for Fair Admissions, formed by Blum, filed against Harvard and the University of North Carolina.
He also has filed a lawsuit against Fearless Fund, a venture capital firm that assists Black women entrepreneurs.
To support his allegations against the groups, Blum relies on a portion of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, passed in response to legislation Southern states implemented during Reconstruction “designed to restrict freed Blacks’ activity and ensure their availability as a workforce,” theGrio previously reported.
The legislation stated that regardless of race, color, or “previous condition of slavery or involuntary servitude,” an American citizen was entitled to equal citizenship rights “in every state and territory of the United States.”
Blum’s lawsuits rely on a provision of that statute that forbids racial discrimination in contracts.
In a statement, Blum said his group’s application for a preliminary injunction in district court is still pending a formal response from Morrison & Foerster, Reuters reported.
TheGrio has reached out to Morrison & Foerster for comment.
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