Two significant Biglaw firms, Perkins Coie and Morrison Foerster, are facing separate lawsuits over their diversity programs, filed by The American Alliance for Equal Rights. The organization is led by Edward Blum, who is also the founder of Students for Fair Admissions. The latter institution was the plaintiff in a recent Supreme Court case that ceased college affirmative action.
The case against Perkins Coie was lodged in the Northern District of Texas, while the case against Morrison Foerster was raised in the Southern District of Florida. Both lawsuits target diversity fellowships at the firms, claiming that such “rank discrimination was never lawful, even before SFFA v. Harvard held that colleges cannot use race in admissions.”
These lawsuits follow on the heels of threats made previously by Senator Tom Cotton over Biglaw firms’ DEI initiatives. However, the industry’s reaction to those threats has largely been muted.
Perkins Coie, as reported by Bloomberg Law, continues to uphold its programs in the wake of the recent Supreme Court case. An affirmation of its commitment to building a “more diverse and inclusive workplace and legal profession” is maintained on its website. The firm offers diversity fellowships for first and second-year students from underrepresented backgrounds.
Till now, neither Perkins Coie nor MoFo have released any statements regarding the allegations made against them.