DLA Piper Disbands Minority Employee Groups After Trump Probes

DLA Piper disbanded its minority organizations and affinity groups the day after the Trump administration queried other law firms about such activities.

In a firmwide email viewed by Bloomberg Law, Americas chair Frank Ryan said Tuesday the firm “will evolve from our previous diversity and inclusion initiatives” and will “discontinue resource groups based on demographic categories, cease participation in certain external surveys, and take other steps to remain compliant with the law.”

The Trump administration in recent weeks has been hitting law firms with letters and directives for their representation of his opponents and efforts to promote diversity and inclusion.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on March 17 said it was investigating 20 firms, including Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, and Cooley, for possible discrimination in their diversity programs. DLA Piper was not one of the 20 firms.

As a part of the its inquiry, the EEOC asked if a lawyer’s participation in a firm-sponsored or third-party affinity group played any role in eligibility for a partnership at the firm. The commission also asked for affinity information for lawyers that were considered for partnership since 2019. It also asked for the same information for lateral partners