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Dive Brief:

• Law firms Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and A&O Shearman Sterling entered settlement agreements with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in which they agreed to curb diversity, equity and inclusion programs, the agency said in an April 11 press release.
• The news comes roughly one month after the EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas sent letters to several law firms, including the four named Friday, inquiring into their DEI programs. Lucas gave a deadline of April 15, 2025, for each firm to respond to her letters, and EEOC said the letters precipitated the settlement agreements.
• The four firms “chose to voluntarily resolve matters with EEOC without admission of liability,” the agency said. Under the multi-year agreements, the firms “affirmed their commitment to lawful merit-based hiring, promotion, and retention” and agreed not to engage in unlawful discrimination nor label any lawful programs as “DEI.”

Dive Insight:

The agreements mark a striking concession from the firms, which effectively agreed to drop the “DEI” label from all lawful policies, programs and practices while also agreeing to compliance monitoring by EEOC.

In a separate statement Friday via Truth Social, President Donald Trump announced that the same four law firms had agreed to provide at least $500 million total in pro bono work and legal services for causes that support military members, veterans and emergency...

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