Renowned law firm, Winston & Strawn, has enlisted the services of two diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) litigators from Jenner & Block, in its defense of its diversity fellowship in federal court. The firm secured the services of partners, Ishan Bhabha and Lauren Hartz, who were previously involved in defending Perkins Coie on similar grounds in comparison to the current lawsuit against Winston & Strawn.
Bhabha, a Harvard Law School alumnus, previously clerked for Merrick Garland at the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He joined Jenner & Block 11 years ago after completing a clerkship with Justice Anthony Kennedy at the U.S. Supreme Court. Hartz, on the other hand, joined Jenner & Block in 2017 and was promoted to partner in January 2022. In the ongoing case, Winston & Strawn have further reinforced their representation by including company attorneys, Michael Murphy, Robine Grant, and Paula Hinton.
The diversity fellowship program in question, the 1L Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Scholar Program, has come under criticism from the American Alliance for Equal Rights. The organization, supervised by known affirmative-action critic Edward Blum, has accused Winston & Strawn of discriminating against straight, white, male law students. This case arose after the Supreme Court decision in June that declined affirmative action in college admissions, which subsequently led to an amplified inspection of private-sector diversity initiatives.
In the legal battle, Winston & Strawn has staunchly denied all allegations and pledged to continue its diversity program. Responding to the claims, Cardelle Spangler, the firm’s managing partner in Chicago, rebuffed implied suggestions in her letter to the organization that the terms ‘disadvantaged’ and ‘historically underrepresented’ inherently indicated racial discrimination. The case is currently known as American Alliance for Equal Rights v. Winston & Strawn LLP, S.D. Tex., No. 4:23-cv-04113, 10/30/23.
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