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Alex Thomson

Alex Thomson is an associate in the firm’s Washington, DC office and is a member of the White Collar Defense and Investigations and Institutional Culture and Social Responsibility Practice Groups. He has extensive experience conducting civil rights and racial equity assessments for leading corporations, investigating workplace cultural issues including reports of misconduct, harassment, and discrimination, and advising clients on the lawful design and implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion processes and practices.

Alex also advises clients responding to high-profile investigations before the Department of Justice that entail significant legal and reputational risks. His practice focuses on white collar criminal defense and government and internal investigations.

Alex serves on the Board of Directors for the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the leading global Jewish humanitarian organization. Prior to joining Covington, Alex served as a law clerk to the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary and was a fundraiser for the Jewish Federation of Boston. He also has served on national finance committees for two presidential campaigns.

On March 29, United States embassies across Europe began sending letters and an accompanying “Certification regarding compliance with applicable federal anti-discrimination law” to companies in Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Italy, Luxembourg, and Spain.  This certification purports to apply Executive Order (“EO”) 14173 (“Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity”) to U.S. government suppliers and contractors based in Europe “regardless of their nationality and the country in which they operate.”  As we wrote in a prior alert, the Trump administration intends for EO 14173 to end what it considers to be “illegal preferences and discrimination” including those “under the guise of so-called ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI) or ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA)” programs by prescribing required provisions for federal contracts. Continue Reading European Companies Wrestle with U.S. Government’s Anti-DEI Push