Dechert LLP

Pennsylvania
Commercial and Professional Services

Corprate Bias Ratings

Risk Level:

Rating - Danger
High Risk

By complying with Human Rights Campaign's controversial demands, Dechert increases the risk of dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. The company covers transgender-related medical costs for its employees and their children and provides specific sexual orientation and gender identity-based benefits. It also uses sex and gender ideology criteria in employee recruitment, vendor selection, marketing, and philanthropic support. Dechert forces employees to undergo multiple ideological trainings and uses its reputation, corporate funds, and political influence to support controversial sex and gender ideologies, organizations, and legislation. The company was part of the Freedom for All Americans coalition and has signed multiple statements in opposition of anti-LGBTQ legislation. Dechert has worked on cases alongside the ACLU, SPLC, and supports ideological "voting rights" agendas. Dechert is Mansfield Certified, indicating its support of DEI in its recruitment, hiring, promotions, and leadership composition. The company is a partner of the Center for Reproductive Rights, building case law, advocating before policy makers, and engaging in litigation to challenge bans and restrictions on access to abortion. Dechert opposed various state and local legislation intended to protect parental rights, girls’ sports, bathroom facilities, and gendered spaces. The firm is a member of The Diversity and Flexibility Alliance, indicating its support of DEI in its recruitment, retention, promotions, and leadership composition. Dechert is a member of the MCCA, indicating its focus on recruiting, retaining, and promoting employees based on race. The company is a part of the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance, committed to work on initiatives that fight “systemic racism”. For these reasons, Dechert receives a High Risk rating.

Criteria
Risk Level
Rationale
Corporate Weaponization
Criteria

Has denied service to customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level
Rationale

Dechert received a score of 100 on the 2023 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group. The company recruit’s employees based on sexual identity issues. The company discriminates against vendors that do not promote divisive sex and gender policies, indicating it prioritizes sexual issues over merit (1)(2). Dechert is Mansfield Certified, indicating its support of DEI in its recruitment, hiring, promotions, and leadership composition (3)(4). However, the company has not publicly terminated business relationships due to religious beliefs or political views. Dechert is a member of The Diversity and Flexibility Alliance, indicating its support of DEI in its recruitment, retention, promotions, and leadership composition (5)(6).

Criteria

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level
Rationale

Dechert‘s HRC CEI rating indicates the company will not donate to non-religious charities unless they embrace controversial sexual identity policies (1)(2). Dechert does not publish charitable giving guidelines (3).

Criteria

Employment policies fail to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation/views and/or religion.

Risk Level
Rationale

Dechert‘s HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company forces employees to attend multiple, controversial trainings on gender identity, sexual orientation, transgender issues, and divisive racial ideology. The company provides gender transition guidelines for its employees and a specific benefits guide with a comprehensive explanation of transgender services funded by the company (1)(2). Dechert is Mansfield Certified, indicating its support of DEI in its recruitment, hiring, promotions, and leadership composition (3)(4). The company does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (5). Dechert is a member of The Diversity and Flexibility Alliance, indicating its support of DEI in its recruitment, retention, promotions, and leadership composition (6)(7).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy
Criteria

Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Dechert‘s HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company agrees to allow a controversial stakeholder group focused on sexual identity issues to dictate marketing or advertising strategy (1)(2). By doing so, the company risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. Dechert was part of the Freedom for All Americans coalition, which advocated for federal legislation that would overrule state laws designed to protect girls’ sports and similar laws (3). The company opposed the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, which would prohibit teaching gender identity and sexual orientation to kids in K-3rd grade (4)(5). Dechert has also “led the charge” on the legal front of the left-wing “voting rights” legislation (6). The company partnered with the ACLU and the SPLC in several publicized court cases and challenged state-level pro-life legislation alongside various Planned Parenthood chapters (7)(8)(9). Dechert opposed various state and local legislation intended to protect parental rights, girls’ sports, bathroom facilities, and gendered spaces (10).

Criteria

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Dechert‘s HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company covers transgender related costs for its employees and their children, including paid short-term leave, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, chest surgeries, genital surgeries, medical visits and lab monitoring, travel and lodging. Additionally, the company has pledged philanthropic support of at least one organization or event that promotes sex and gender ideology (1)(2). By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company increases health care costs and risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. Dechert has done pro bono work for the ACLU (3)(4)(5). The firm is a member of the MCCA, indicating its focus on recruiting, retaining, and promoting employees based on race (6)(7).

Criteria

Uses corporate political contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level
Rationale

Dechert‘s HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company publicly advocated for controversial sex and gender ideology through local, state or federal legislation or initiatives (1)(2). By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. Dechert does not operate a PAC or report on its lobbying at this time (3)(4)(5). The company is a partner of the Center for Reproductive Rights, building case law, advocating before policy makers, and engaging in litigation to challenge bans and restrictions on access to abortion (6). Dechert is a part of the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance, committed to work on initiatives that fight “systemic racism” (7)(8).

All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
March 15, 2024

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