Reed Smith, a law firm previously recognized for its commitment to diversity, is dissolving its DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) program due to an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation. Global managing partner Casey Ryan announced this shift in a firmwide email, stating that future initiatives will be relaunched under 'Culture & Engagement'. Critics, including Rutgers Law professor Stacy Hawkins, argue that merely changing the program's name does not inherently change its effectiveness or focus on historically disenfranchised communities, pointing out that firms often seek to minimize their accountability after such investigations.
If you're going for a rebrand, why not lean into it and just house everything under the banner of 'Good Vibes' or 'Thoughts and Prayers'?
Stacy Hawkins, a Rutgers Law professor quoted in the article, does a great job of refocusing the reader on the fact that it doesn't really matter what these firms call their nouveau diversity attempts.
Reed Smith will 'retire our DEI program,' global managing partner Casey Ryan said Tuesday in a firmwide email viewed by Bloomberg Law.
The firm instead 'will provide offerings going forward under the banner 'Culture & Engagement,'' she said.
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