McKee Nelson to... Boob Cups?
(Plus a digression on beauty queens in the law.)
As the BLT reported earlier this month, McKee Nelson has hired beauty queen Chelsey Rodgers, a 3L at Howard University Law School, who will be D.C.'s representative in the Miss USA competition. Although the firm has been trying to thin its ranks, we're sure that they can find room for Ms. Rodgers (just as Thacher Proffitt, in its recent personnel reductions, kept its former Playboy pinup on the payroll).
In an interview in Washingtonian magazine, Chelsey Rodgers described this embarrassing moment:
"I lost a boob cup once. It's one of the tools of the trade, but I was uncomfortable with it. I told the girls before we went out: 'If you see something fall out of me, just act like nothing happened.' I could sense it shifting as we walked out and it came out on me. All you can do is act like nothing happened."
Quips our tipster, "Let's hope she doesn't lose any 'boob cups' whilst 'thumping the table in the courtroom.'" [FN1]
Here's a question (which you don't need to emerge from a soundproof booth to answer): What is up with beauty queens and the law? See, e.g., Erika Harold (Harvard), Victoria Kush (Florida International), and -- last, but definitely not least -- Kumari Fulbright (University of Arizona).
Why do these beauty pageant winners gravitate towards the legal world? Especially when, in a sad commentary on gender equality in the law, they could arguably earn more as escorts? As Stanford law professor and sociologist Michele Landis Dauber recently told us, for our column in this week's New York Observer:
“It is unfortunately true that plenty of women, Silda Spitzer included, probably have a better chance of making five diamonds at the Emperor’s Club than they do of becoming an equity partner at Dechert, Mayer Brown, Blank Rome, Kramer Levin, or Cravath.”
Professor Dauber is a director and officer of Building A Better Legal Profession, which works to increase diversity at large law firms. There's a nice shout-out to BBLP in today's Los Angeles Times.
[FN1] Don't feel bad if you weren't familiar with a boob cup; we weren't. But Kashmir Hill, ATL's breath of fresh estrogen, explained:
"A boob cup is one of those stick-on bra things. You get two cups that you essentially adhere to yourself. They don't tend to work that well for anyone larger than a B cup."
Next Stop Miss USA: DC’s Pageant Representative [Washingtonian]
Beauty and The Law [The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times]
(37) 
First... but I thought they fired everyone
she's hot.
4:02: They did not fire anyone. McKee Nelson very much took the high road. They gave optional buy-outs, transferred lawyers to different departments and created arrangements whereby lawyers leave for a few months to pursue public interest ventures while being paid at some portion of their salary. Also, they were completely transparent about the process.
Hmmm...maybe beauty queens don't gravitate to escort services because they want to be respected for their intelligence, rather than just have money? Just maybe...
4:21- Don't be silly.
Lat. just watch 2girls1(b00b)cup. It will explain everything.
The relevant question is whether -- as a representative of D.C. -- the Supreme Court will allow her to carry a gun.
lucky MN isn't like covington, or else they would make her a glorified paralegal and not put her picture on the website even though her credentials are vastly superior to the many white associates at the firm!
I believe that this means Kash has larger than a B cup.
and that Chels is smaller than a B cup!
4:18 Nice spin
4:45....or, rather, that Chelsey is larger than a B cup. It seems the boob cup in question did not qork too well for her.
4:45,
it's not really spin. that's how it went down. contrast mckee with thacher or cadwalader and you will agree. even in lat's prior post about mckee's "layoffs" he said "we wish we had worked at mckee"--
http://www.abovethelaw.com/2007/11/nationwide_layoff_personnel_re.php
go read this and tell me you don't agree with me.
4:58- credited.
Nice 4:37. I was wondering how quickly someone would tie this to the Covington post/affirmative action rant.
"It is unfortunately true that plenty of women, Silda Spitzer included, probably have a better chance of making five diamonds at the Emperor’s Club than they do of becoming an equity partner at Dechert, Mayer Brown, Blank Rome, Kramer Levin, or Cravath."
This is probably true for men also (at a different escort service obviously). It's not easy to make partner in biglaw.
This should have the "Hotties" Tag on it too.
Yet another class act from Howard U.
"Dechert, Mayer Brown, Blank Rome, Kramer or Cravath"....for some reason, I am reminded of that sweet little ditty - "which of these things just doesn't belong here...." (Methinks that is from Sesame Street)
Firm jobs to Cheslea in 2008!!!
Congrats Chelsea!
Firm jobs to Cheslea in 2008!!!
Congrats Chelsea!
Hey, f*ck you 5:19! Classy enough?
It's a sad commentary on gender equality in the escort business that men cannot make as much money as escorts as they can as lawyers.
Get a life. The girl was in law school before she won obviously, and anyone to say such a thing about escort services is ignorant and hasn't met her. I know its hard to accept intelligent, black women, but guess you'll have to when she wins Miss USA.
8:30- i believe the comment about escorts was a poke at the post that came before this one, about covington and burling, in light of lat's comment above about the partnership prospects for women at certain firms.
it was not meant to be a racist or sexist comment.
Miss Virginia 2000
http://www.hf-law.com/HFjhedblom.asp
Some of the girls compete in the Miss America system for years. Their winings at the local, state, and national level allow them to graduate from law school debt-free. I know of at least 3 Miss America state titleholders -- other than Harold -- in recent years who are attorneys, recent law school grads, or current law students, and I'm sure there are more out there. But, unless they identify themselves as past titleholders in their law firm profiles, I'll respect their privacy and leave them unidentified in the world of ATL. :)
I would imagine that one of the reasons these women "gravitate to the law" is because once they realize the sexism and prejudice inherent in American society, they figure they can use their prestige as pageant winners to do something positive and break down the stereotypes that are applied to pageant winners. Being beautiful and winning beauty contests doesn't make one stupid. If a law firm wants to hire a beautiful woman, is that her fault? If she graduates from law school and passes the bar and meets their qualifications, why should they not hire her?
How about a more simple answer? Ambitious, ego-driven, and self-promotional types gravitate toward the law. Those same personality types--added with physical beauty--would gravitate towards the beauty pageant circle.
9:36- you are incorrect. what is self-promotional about going into the law?
Well, to be fair, 8:30, winning Miss USA isn't exactly great proof of intelligence.
However, it *is* nice to see intelligent, beautiful black women like Chelsey, even if she opted to do the whole bullshit pageant thing.
I am quite disturbed by this article because of the sexist way it has portrayed someone I know personally to be an intelligent woman with integrity who's a motivated law student. It seems that you are chiefly concerned with the number of blog hits you get to maintain your stance as a source of legal gossip. Are her outside interests any different from the typical Aderol-popping, gambling, high-level alcoholic students that accompanied me to my law school classes everyday? Give me a break. Do your homework before compartmentalizing someone so quickly.
6:05 -- Your sarcasm, not mine (5:19).
Go Chelsey! Sending big hugs from another empowered Howard U alum.
Howard has a lot to be proud of and Howard draws recruiters from biglaw other non-ivy law schools wish they could attract!
12:31-- well said.
Lat-- come on man, the tone of this post is unnecessarily sexist.
So wait, I thought she finished runner-up to Shayna Rudd in the Miss DC contest---see here:
http://www.geocities.com/missusamagicj/dc07.html
So, how is it that she's in the Miss USA pageant?
10:01, I'm too lazy to look it up, but I would guess that she finished as 1RU last year to Miss DC USA 2007, but won the Miss DC USA 2008 title outright this year. Of course, there could have been a scandal where the winner resigned, but I haven't heard of that in this year's crop.
It is not unusual for girls to pay their dues by competing for several years before winning their local or state crowns. You only get one shot at the national crown, however. (Of course, some cross systems and compete for Miss USA, Miss America, Miss United States, Miss Whatever, etc.)
7:55, they haven't yet had Miss DC 08. The winner of Miss DC 08 will compete in Miss USA 09.