While Paul Weiss joins the ranks of law firms explicitly targeted for retaliation from the Trump administration, most of Biglaw remains comfortable with the old adage that “a quiet life is a happy life”… or more accurately “silence is complicity.”
Some firms have taken this silence kick even further and started to “obey in advance,” by purging their business of references that could offend the new administration. K&L Gates deleted diversity language from their website while DLA Piper (somewhat clumsily) removed every email signature block of pronouns. It seems as though Proskauer has followed suit.
A page on the website that previously listed and described the firm’s Women’s Alliance, Black Lawyers Affinity Group, Asian Lawyers Affinity Group, etc. is now just titled “Inclusion.”
Not to get all typeface nerd, but the “Inclusion” in fine print and seemingly off-center sends a not insignificant message about how much of a priority this is at the firm.
Our commitment to inclusion centers on fostering an environment where everyone has access to the tools, relationships, and opportunities to excel. The story of our founders demonstrates that the legal profession thrives when we welcome the best and brightest, regardless of background, and ensure that talent is met with opportunity. These beliefs strengthen our firm, our profession, and the broader legal system by creating an environment where everyone can contribute (and succeed) at their highest level. We focus on mentorship, sponsorship and community engagement because talent must be cultivated, not just recruited. Ultimately, we believe that being a firm focused on creating opportunities for inclusion among our lawyers strengthens the trust and connection we have with our clients and moves our firm and the legal industry forward.
This is the “All Lawyers Matter” of firm statements.
In addition to removing references to the firm’s work with specific groups, past articles on the subject seem to have been disappeared like a Vegas magic act. This article from the Proskauer homepage as recently as mid-January (helpfully archived by the Wayback Machine)…
… has a URL that does NOT go to this article, but redirects to the above generic Inclusion page. Quite a difference inauguration day makes!
A search for the word “diversity” on the Proskauer brings up multiple articles. For example:
However, guess which one of these articles still has a hyperlink?
It’s been a long time since 2012, but if there were a Diversity Brochure more recent than the Mayan endtimes, one would hope it came up in the search. It also has no subject heading — which is why it just says “on 2012” — so wherever it used to live has also disappeared. In conjunction with reworking the Inclusion page, it’s a chilling moment for a lawyer, either at the firm or considering joining, to look up “Diversity Brochure” and find it’s like an emergency exit that’s just painted on. That’s the whole problem… even if the firm were to say, “oh no, our policy is still the same” when it’s downplaying if not hiding its policy, then that is a statement itself.
We’ll see if the search function even brings up these zombie story entries by next week. Not exactly holding my breath.
Earlier: Biglaw Firm Scrubs Pronouns From Attorney Signatures Without Telling Anyone
Biglaw Firm Quietly Begins Purging Diversity Language From Website
Law Schools Respond To The Executive Threatening To Cut Federal Funding Over DEI
Trump Signs Executive Order Calling Out Top 50 Biglaw Firm, With Intent To Wage War Against Other ‘Leading Law Firms’ Over Their DEI Policies
Covington Must Wait Behind Putin To See Classified Documents Like Everyone Else
Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter or Bluesky if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.
