Du Pont, Shell, and Wal-Mart have published a list of law firms that are owned by women or minorities. The National Law Journal reported that this list is a just a directory of law firms that the companies themselves have used in the past. However, it is widely regarded that this is an attempt to push clients towards retaining law firms that place an emphasis on gender and racial diversity.

Tom Sager, DuPont’s general counsel said:

Judges, juries and public officials are becoming more diverse, so companies benefit from using firms that offer a diverse set of lawyers who can identify with these decision-makers.

However Law and More have suggested that there is potential for a "pale male backlash"…

As Above the Law commented: "whilst totally disregarding people who are just sexist or racist when it comes to these issues, there is a serious discussion to be had about whether any firm should be hired just because the firm has some arbitrary number of female or minority attorneys. That said, gender and racial equality are important goals in our profession. Creating a directory is hardly synonymous with "preferential" treatment. Knowing which firms have a commitment to diversity seems like a relevant factor that clients might want to consider." Fair comment.

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