A MAJOR US law firm changed the requirements for a fellowship designed to promote diversity in the legal profession after being accused of discriminating against white applicants.
Conservative activist Edward Blum who led the successful US Supreme Court challenge to the use of race in college admissions accused the San Francisco-founded Morrison & Foerster on discriminating against white applicants.
According to a flyer for the programme posted on the company’s website, the section stating that the fellowship is exclusively accessible to Black, Hispanic, Native American, or LGBTQ+ candidates has now been deleted.
The PDF flyer’s data reveals that it was made on August 30, a week after a group opposed to affirmative action led by Blum sued it and another major law firm on the grounds that its diversity fellowships had improperly rejected persons based on their race.
The paid fellowships were created in part to aid in the recruitment of people of colour, whom big law firms had been attempting to increase in their partnership ranks for years.
In response to his group’s application for a preliminary injunction in the district court, Morrison & Foerster has yet to formally respond, according to Blum in a statement.
A compensated summer associate position, which sometimes results in full-time employment with salaries in the six figures following graduation, plus a $50,000 (£40,123) stipend makes up the fellowship.
More than 1,000 lawyers work with the company worldwide.
Morrison & Foerster’s website stated the fellowship was meant for law students “who are members of historically underrepresented groups in the legal industry” before Blum’s group filed a lawsuit there on August 22.
It now simply states that applicants must “bring a diverse perspective to the firm as a result of your adaptability, cultural fluency, resilience, and life experiences”.
The other law company Blum is targeting is Perkins Coie, a 1,200 plus lawyer worldwide practice headquartered in Seattle.
It has a comparable fellowship and has declared its intention to stand up for itself, stating that its dedication to diversity is “steadfast”.
Subscribe for our weekly news letter here!
You can unsubscribe us at any time
