DEI at Law Firms Remains Live Issue a Year Into Trump's Term

It's been over a year since Donald Trump returned to the White House and almost immediately made it a priority to end diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at large law firms. There's evidence that this effort is bearing fruit for the president, even after the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission walked away from investigations into several firms.

The EEOC recently told a court it dropped the probes without getting most of the information it sought on firms' recruiting programs and promotion decisions. Still, the move came after some of those firms struck deals with the White House and several others—including some not involved in the inquiries—scaled back diversity initiatives. Citing the cost of defending itself against Trump's attacks, a DEI nonprofit said it's shutting down its Mansfield Rule program that sought to have firms consider underrepresented candidates in hiring and promotions.

To talk about all of this, Bloomberg Law reporter Tatyana Monnay joins our podcast, On The Merits. She explains all the recent developments on this front and also talks about the risks that firms may face if they shut down all of their DEI programs entirely.

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