The furor over corporate diversity, equity and inclusion programs has turned so explosive that it’s never been busier for specialists on the topic.
Some companies are cutting back on DEI initiatives while others are disbanding them altogether. Many more are hurriedly reconfiguring their policies, striving to avoid lawsuits from conservative activists as they attack diversity programs.
That’s led to a flurry of requests for audits from law firms and consultancies who specialize on diversity in the workplace.
Take Kenji Yoshino, a constitutional law professor at New York University and one of the country’s leading experts on DEI. He says inquiries from Fortune 500 companies have surged since June, when the Supreme Court banned universities from using race as a factor in admissions and opened the gateway for legal challenges to corporate diversity hiring practices.
He’s taking calls from a potential new client every week, and estimates he’s presented to about 75 companies since last summer.
“The appetite for this is just going through the roof,” Yoshino said in an interview from his NYU office. “It’s exponential and there’s no end in sight.”
The executives are warding against conservative groups, who, emboldened by the court’s decision, have been launching lawsuits and complaints against diversity programs across corporate America. DEI initiatives, they argue, amount to reverse discrimination and must be legally challenged. Billionaires Bill Ackman and Elon Musk have joined the cause, further amplifying the backlash over these programs.
Jason Schwartz, who runs a DEI taskforce at law firm Gibson Dunn, said he’s also seen a huge volume of demand for legal counsel.
“Lots of clients are wanting to do audits, review all DEI efforts, board diversity, socially conscious investing to assess risk and figure out what — if any — changes they want to make,” he said. “There is a never ending tide…
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