The Derek Chauvin Verdict
A message from Andy Levander (Chair) and Henry Nassau (CEO)
Over the past several weeks, many of us have been closely following the trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin as he was charged with the murder of George Floyd. Now, the jury has spoken and the rule of law has been vindicated.
Although justice appears to have been achieved in this case and the verdict will bring comfort to many, we know that there is much more work to do to address the systemic issues that disproportionately impact people of color in our country. Dechert is committed to continuing to contribute to that work and to seeking opportunities that will allow all members of our community to help build a society that is fair to everyone.
As a firm, we are always considering how we can best support the needs of our whole Dechert community. We are hosting a town hall forum for Dechert employees to discuss the trial, and we are continuously updating the Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit with anti-racism resources. We encourage you to stay safe, continue to check in on one another, and practice active listening.
-- Andy and Henry
How Did We Get Here?
- Policing and the Legacy of Racial Injustice (Facing History & Ourselves)
- Police Shootings database 2015-2021 (Washington Post)
How Dechert is Taking Action
Our firm is working hard on efforts that we hope will contribute to the positive resolution of these issues, including, through the work of our pro bono program.
Most recently, a team of over 20 Dechert attorneys and business service professionals across several practice groups and offices has been representing the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights in its effort to improve public safety and increase transparency with respect to the use of force by law enforcement agencies across the United States.
With the strong commitment and dedication of the Dechert team, the client launched a new website in February 2020, which is a public and user-friendly national database of police use of force data. Anyone can use the public website to search by city and state to find statistics regarding use of force incidents, and to submit their own personal FOIA request for more information from any law enforcement agency. Learn more here
The project is still underway today and is being led by partner Jason Rozes and counsel Dennis Lawson. We will continue to support the Leadership Conference and other organizations that have dedicated themselves to cleansing our legal systems of unlawful bias.