Companies today are caught between demands by stakeholders to set and deliver on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) commitments, and an onslaught of new challenges from litigants, activists, regulators and investors. We help boards, senior executives and in-house counsel safely navigate this increasingly fraught landscape and respond to threats in a manner that mitigates reputational and legal risk and drives long-term success.
Loretta Lynch and Liza Velazquez Publish Article on Proactive Private Company DEI Audits in Directorship Magazine
November 29, 2023
Litigation partners Loretta Lynch and Liza Velazquez co-wrote an article for the National Association of Corporate Directors’ Directorship magazine exploring the ways in which proactive DEI audits can help private companies achieve their DEI goals while avoiding legal, regulatory and reputational pitfalls. In “Why DE&I Audits Are a Critical Proactive Tool for Private Company Directors,” published on November 29, Loretta and Liza discuss changes in the corporate DEI legal landscape following the Supreme Court’s affirmative action decision; how DEI audits work to ensure robust policies and programs, and also mitigate legal risk around diversity issues; and the business case for maintaining solid and effective DEI initiatives, among other topics.
“The recent Supreme Court decision provides companies and boards with an opportunity to review and enhance their workforce and board-level DE&I initiatives to ensure that they are both compliant with existing law and are aligned with the business’s stated recruitment, retention and development, and supplier diversity goals,” the authors write. “With an effective DE&I audit, boards and companies can get a handle on whether their initiatives are working, discover where there is room for improvement, and implement practical solutions in a way that sets them up for continued success down the road.”
» read the article