The American Alliance for Equal Rights sued Perkins Coie in Dallas and Morrison & Foerster in Miami two months after the Supreme Court sided with another group founded by activist Edward Blum and rejected affirmative action policies used by many colleges to increase enrollment of racial minorities.
The federal lawsuits accused both law firms of unlawfully discriminating against white candidates by limiting which law students could be considered for paid fellowships designed in part to help support the recruitment of people of color.
"Excluding students from these esteemed fellowships because they are the wrong race is unfair, polarizing and illegal," Blum, who is white, said in a statement.
Perkins Coie, founded in Seattle, offers "diversity fellowships" that provide stipends of $15,000 to $25,000 and paid positions as summer associates, a position that at major law firms can lead to full-time jobs with six-figure salaries.
Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Will Dunham, Alexia Garamfalvi and Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons:
Edward Blum, Perkins Coie, Morrison, Foerster, " Blum, Perkins, Nate Raymond, Will Dunham, Alexia Garamfalvi, Alistair Bell
Organizations:
U.S, Supreme, Harvard University, University of North, Activision, American Alliance for Equal Rights, Activision Blizzard, Kellogg, Gannett, Civil, American, American Alliance for Equal, Atlanta, Thomson
Locations:
University of North Carolina, Washington , U.S, Dallas, Miami, Seattle, United States, Asia, San Francisco, Blum's Texas, Boston