Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, one of the largest and most prestigious law firms, has recently decided to terminate its employee affinity groups’ events. This decision comes on the heels of an agreement with former President Donald Trump to circumvent compliance with an anticipated executive order.
The law firm had, up until this point, maintained at least ten affinity networks serving distinct employee groups, including parents, veterans, Asian Pacific Islanders, Blacks, and Latinos. Notifications received by affinity group members indicated that Skadden’s employee resource groups would be formally disbanded, signaling a significant change in the firm’s longstanding diversity and inclusion initiatives.
This development has broader implications within the legal community. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has increasingly scrutinized diversity programs across major law firms. Skadden’s decision might be reflective of a cautious stance being adopted by Big Law firms in response to regulatory pressures. While mentions of the affinity groups have been removed from Skadden’s communications, the broader question remains how this will affect employee morale and the firm’s public image regarding diversity commitments (read more here).