DEI in 2025: Legal Shifts, Executive Orders, and What Employers Need to Know

Frantz Ward Associates Katherine E. McLaughlin and Stacey M. Sanderson tackle one of the most common questions from clients in 2025: What’s going on with DEI? With host, firm Associate Josh A. Friedman, they break down the legal shifts employers must navigate following recent executive orders that impact DEI programs.

The discussion covers:

• new guidance from the EEOC and DOJ, including the increased risk of harassment and retaliation claims linked to DEI training,
• the scrutiny on employee resource groups (ERGs),
• the implications of a recent Supreme Court decision that levels the playing field for reverse discrimination claims, and
• practical guidance for employers reviewing their DEI policies and practices.

Listen to the episode here.

Katie provides legal counsel to management on a wide range of labor and employment law issues and aids in the defense of employers in a wide range of matters, including employment discrimination, retaliation, harassment, and wage and hour disputes.

Stacey defends and advises employers on a wide variety of workplace matters and claims including discrimination, wrongful termination, wage and hour issues, restrictive covenants, and FMLA, ADA, and Title VII compliance. She also regularly advises clients on day-to-day issues that arise in employment relationships and with creating and revising multi-state employee handbooks, workplace policies, severance agreements, and assisting employers with supervisor training and workplace DEI programs.

Josh focuses his practice on employer-side workers’ compensation, administrative law, and municipal law. He works closely with employers to navigate self-insured workers’ compensation claims, handling cases at both the administrative and judicial level.