Funny
thing
about
promises
of
transparency:
people
will
notice
gaps
in
the
record.
Freshfields
talked
a
big
game
on
their
commitment
to
DEI,
but
it
looks
like
there’s
a
proverbial
minute
missing
from
the
footage.
The
firm
set
some
huge
diversity
goals
for
this
side
of
the
pond,
things
like
having
at
least
20
percent
of
new
partners
be
racially
or
ethnically
diverse
and
at
least
30
percent
of
their
senior
business
service
staff
be
the
same.
Since
then,
Trump
happened;
it
seems
like
Freshfields
has
had
a
change
of
heart.
Roll
On
Friday
has
coverage:
RollOnFriday
has
uncovered
discrepancies
in
Freshfields’
diversity
and
inclusion
data
which
cast
doubt
on
its
claims
about
its
DEI
achievements.
…
The
firm
binned
its
US
diversity
targets[.]
When
asked
about
the
move
by
a
press
which
had
dutifully
reported
the
firm’s
five
year
plan
at
its
launch,
allowing
Freshfields
to
reap
the
attendant
publicity
benefits,
it
would
not
answer
directly.
Instead,
a
source
close
to
the
firm
said
it
had
“retired”
its
US
specific
targets
“as
they
had
been
met
or
exceeded”.
That
seems
to
be
the
lawyerly
way
of
saying
“we
don’t
care
about
that
anymore”.
RollonFriday
did
the
perfectly
reasonable
journalistic
followup
of
asking
if
Freshfields
can
accurately
say
the
goals
have
been
met
or
exceeded
when
data
from
2024
showed
that
the
firm
was
behind.
The
firm
responded
that
their
information
wasn’t
up
to
date,
but
that’s
a
bit
glib
considering
any
hope
of
more
up-to-date
DEI
information
was
scrubbed
from
their
website
months
ago.
While
Freshfields’
5
year
diversity
plan
would
put
their
diversity
deadline
in
2026,
it
is
unlikely
that
the
firm
is
going
to
double
down
on
or
advance
their
diversity
under
this
administration.
It
isn’t
like
they’re
Davis
Wright
Tremaine
or
anything.
EXCLUSIVE
Doubt
cast
on
Freshfields’
DEI
claims
[Roll
On
Friday]
Chris
Williams
became
a
social
media
manager
and
assistant
editor
for
Above
the
Law
in
June
2021.
Prior
to
joining
the
staff,
he
moonlighted
as
a
minor
Memelord™
in
the
Facebook
group Law
School
Memes
for
Edgy
T14s
.
He
endured
Missouri
long
enough
to
graduate
from
Washington
University
in
St.
Louis
School
of
Law.
He
is
a
former
boatbuilder
who
is
learning
to
swim, is
interested
in
critical
race
theory,
philosophy,
and
humor,
and
has
a
love
for
cycling
that
occasionally
annoys
his
peers.
You
can
reach
him
by
email
at [email protected]
and
by
tweet
at @WritesForRent.