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
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if
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Joe
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