Detroit’s leading law firms spoke out against racial injustice as the appalling deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, among many others, have sparked protests worldwide.
The murder of George Floyd, an African American man, at the hands’ Derrick Chauvin, a white, now former Minneapolis police officer, has given rise to a new level of outrage and unprecedented support across many different lines.
“The deaths of George Floyd and many others, along with police brutality and unequal access to opportunity suffered by many African American people and other people of color, must be a catalyst for change in our communities.
“As leaders of metropolitan Detroit’s largest law firms, we are strongly committed to doing our part to encourage and ensure equal voice, opportunity and legal representation for African American people and other people of color.
The legal community leaders have committed to implementing the following critical action items:
The statement is endorsed by: Carrie Leahy, chair – Bodman PLC; Justin G. Klimko, President, and CEO – Butzel Long; Michael C. Hammer, CEO – Dickinson Wright PLLC; Peter M. Kellett, chairman and CEO – Dykema; Philip B. Phillips, Detroit Office managing partner – Foley & Lardner LLP; David Foltyn, Chairman and CEO – Honigman LLP; William J. Anthony and Kevin G. Lauri, co-chairs – Jackson Lewis P.C.; Jeffrey Weiss, CEO – Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, P.C; and Michael P. McGee, CEO – Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone, P.L.C.
