FIRST ON FOX: Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier will announce new policy changes Tuesday prohibiting law firms which have diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives from working with the attorney general's office as outside counsel.
"I am deeply troubled that these discriminatory practices have been embraced and amplified by many of our nation's law firms," Uthmeier wrote in the policy memo. "If we are truly committed to the rule of law, then we must be truly committed to equal justice under law. DEI and ESG practices flout those bedrock principles."
"Beginning immediately, the Florida Attorney General's Office will no longer engage or approve the engagement of private law firms who have or continue to engage in illegal and inappropriate discrimination and bias. Racial discrimination, in any form, is wrong and illegal. Florida taxpayer resources should not redound to the benefit of law firms who pretend otherwise," the policy reads.
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Law firms with a history of so-called racially discriminatory practices will be banned from collaborating with the state unless they demonstrate significant changes, the memo states.
The ban targets law firms involved in several types of DEI programs, including those with Mansfield Certification, which mandates diversity in leadership roles; minority diversity scorecards; and racial diversity targets in hiring, promotions, and contracting.
"My office will immediately commence a review of existing outside counsel engagements to assess compliance with this policy," Uthmeier said.
When reviewing its counsel, the AG's office will also consider "excellent" individual lawyers who "personally reject the DEI and ESG rouses," even if they are part of law firms with DEI programs.
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Other practices under scrutiny include diversity fellowships limited to specific racial or ethnic groups, diversity mentorship programs, DEI-focused hiring websites, and workplace DEI trainings that "are so egregious as to constitute a plausible basis for a hostile work environment claim or allegation." Firms involved in third-party diversity programs such as the Leadership Council for Legal Diversity may also be disqualified, as well as Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks.
As President Donald Trump targets DEI programs and initiatives across the federal government and U.S. institutions, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been waging his own years-long battle against them at the state level.
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Florida enacted the Stop WOKE Act in April 2022, which restricted employers from mandating DEI training that could be construed as promoting certain concepts, such as inherent racism or sexism. But a federal district court permanently blocked provisions of this act last year, declaring that it violated free speech rights under the First and 14th Amendments. In 2023, DeSantis signed legislation banning public colleges and universities from allocating state or federal funds to DEI programs.
In March 2025, the state's high court considered eliminating the requirement that law students graduate from American Bar Association (ABA)-accredited schools due to the ABA's diversity mandates.
