Jack Sharman Quoted In University Business Article on DEI Executive Orders and Higher Education

February 20, 2025

University Business sought out Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC partner Jack Sharman for its coverage of President Donald Trump’s first round of executive orders, particularly those regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

The article, “Trump: Big week sees Title IX reduced, NCAA changes,” is an ongoing roundup by University Business and will be updated weekly as policies change. For the section titled “Dismantling Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” University Business asked Sharman about what higher education institutions should be doing in light of the DEI executive orders. 

“I would be hesitant to advise a client to just sit pat and see what happens, even if they perceive themselves as not having too much exposure,” Sharman told University Business. 

Sharman has practiced law for more than 30 years and leads Lightfoot’s White-Collar Criminal Defense and Corporate Investigations practice. He was special counsel to the House Banking Committee during its Whitewater investigation of President Bill Clinton in the 1990s. In 2016, he was appointed as special counsel to the Alabama House Judiciary Committee for the impeachment investigation of former Alabama Governor Robert Bentley. Currently, he serves as special counsel to the Office of the Georgia Secretary of State relating to inquiries into the 2020 presidential election.