WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, following news that the law firm of Skadden Arps has laid off 4% of its professional staff across the country, a group disproportionately made up of people of color, while continuing to boost salaries and bonuses for attorneys, Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware campaign manager Chris Coffey released the following statement:
“Once again, Skadden Arps is demonstrating their callous disregard for the well-being of their BIPOC employees, choosing to reduce their already appallingly low levels of diversity rather than rolling back partner salaries or bonuses. In the middle of a public health and economic crisis, Skadden is showing their true colors by firing the employees who can least afford it.”
“These layoffs are even more indefensible when you consider the fact that Skadden reported $2.63 billion in revenue last year, including $3.9 million in profits per each partner at the firm. While other elite firms have dealt with the economic downturn by cutting pay for their highest-paid attorneys, Skadden has refused to spread the pain evenly, elevating 13 attorneys to partner positions while viciously firing the firm’s most vulnerable employees.”
“Skadden’s hypocrisy apparently knows no bounds, as they continue to make hollow gestures of support towards racial equity and diversity -- such as making Juneteenth a firmwide holiday -- while refusing to take any meaningful steps to improve their diversity numbers. Given the outsize role hiring and firing decisions by firms like Skadden Arps has on the future composition of our courts, and given the fact that people of color are woefully underrepresented on those courts already, as evidenced by the all-white Chancery Court, we will continue calling them out for their hypocrisy until real changes are made.”
Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware is a group made up of more than 5,000 members including employees of the global translation services company TransPerfect, as well as concerned Delaware residents, business executives and others. They formed in April of 2016 to focus on raising awareness with Delaware residents, elected officials, and other stakeholders about the unprecedented forced sale of TransPerfect. While their primary goal of saving the company has been accomplished, they continue their efforts to fight for more transparency in the Delaware Chancery Court. For more information on Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware or to join the cause, visit DelawareForBusiness.org.