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EEOC knowledge requests to regulation companies weren’t…
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EEOC knowledge requests to regulation companies weren’t obligatory, company says in courtroom submitting
By Debra Cassens Weiss
August 19, 2025, 4:18 pm CDT
Andrea Lucas is the appearing chair of the Equal Employment Alternative Fee. (Photograph by Mariam Zuhaib/The Related Press)
A letter to twenty BigLaw companies looking for detailed details about diversity-program candidates and different legal professional job seekers constituted “casual info gathering” moderately than a compulsory demand, in keeping with a courtroom submitting by the Equal Employment Alternative Fee.
Many of the 20 regulation companies didn’t present any info requested by the EEOC, and those who did reply didn’t embody figuring out details about any particular particular person, in keeping with the July 31 EEOC submitting looking for to dismiss a lawsuit difficult the data gathering. Three nameless regulation college students are the plaintiffs.
Any info supplied to the EEOC didn’t embody particular person names, cellphone numbers, e mail addresses or different contact info, the movement says, and in consequence, the regulation college students who sued lack standing.
And if the plaintiffs have been discovered to be injured, any hurt could be brought on by impartial choices of regulation companies receiving the letters, moderately than the EEOC request, in keeping with the movement.
Legislation.com has a report on the submitting.
The March 17 letters by EEOC appearing chair Andrea Lucas expressed issues concerning the companies’ range hiring practices, saying they could quantity to discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The coed plaintiffs had alleged the EEOC acted past its authority when it demanded delicate private details about the regulation companies’ candidates and workers courting again six to 10 years. The scholars utilized to or labored at a number of of the regulation companies.
Of their Aug. 14 reply to the EEOC’s movement, the scholar plaintiffs say the EEOC defendants “try to reduce their conduct—an implicit acknowledgment that they’ve overstepped.”
The company’s place, the scholars say, is an try to bypass statutory necessities for a proper cost of discrimination earlier than an investigation can start “just by calling an investigation one thing else.”
Based on Legislation.com, Goodwin Procter “is the one regulation agency identified to have submitted voluminous hiring knowledge to the EEOC.” The agency didn’t present applicant names, nonetheless.
Six of the focused regulation companies resolved the EEOC requests for info once they reached professional bono offers with President Donald Trump, Legislation.com stories. These companies are: Kirkland & Ellis; A&O Shearman; Latham & Watkins; Milbank; Simpson Thacher & Bartlett; and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom.
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