Companies and their boards are facing increasing pressure from shareholders and other stakeholders to follow through on their diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) commitments. Our Civil Rights and Racial Equity Audit Practice is among the nation’s first dedicated legal teams focused on conducting racial equity audits and other civil rights audits—proactive, powerful tools that help ensure that companies and investment firms are delivering on their commitments, while mitigating potential legal, reputational and business risk.
Loretta Lynch Discusses Racial Equity Audits on KPMG Board Insights Podcast
December 5, 2022
Litigation partner Loretta Lynch was the featured guest on the December 5 episode of the KPMG Board Insights podcast. In the episode, “Civil Rights and Racial Equity Audits,” Loretta discussed the increased scrutiny shareholders and other stakeholders are placing on companies’ policies and practices regarding racial equity issues. Sharing her perspective as chair of Paul, Weiss’s Civil Rights and Racial Equity Audit practice, Loretta commented on the reasons company boards should conduct racial equity audits, the benefits of engaging an outside law firm to conduct a comprehensive racial equity review, and the potential collateral consequences to consider, among other topics.
“Companies spend a lot of money and are putting a lot of resources into efforts to have inclusive workplaces and an inclusive environment in which they operate,” Loretta noted. “And you really want to know, are we putting our money where we should? Is this an effective program? Are we having the impact that we want to have?”