Which Biglaw Firm Is Being Compared To A 'Sweatshop'?

Has this high-powered Biglaw firm been running afoul of state labor laws all this time?

For all the talk of work-life balance within the legal profession, it seems that some very crucial members of the law firm hierarchy are being left out of the picture. We’re speaking, of course, about the law firm support staff — from the legal assistants to the paralegals and everyone in between — who make lawyers’ jobs easier, but are so often mistreated and abused.

Biglaw associates work themselves to the bone, but deep down in the dark underbellies of these firms, support staffers are doing the exact same thing — for much less money and usually without gratitude. While there are many, many differences between being an attorney and a staff member at one of these large firms, the biggest difference in some cases is the employee’s ability to take a much-needed break.

Lawyers can take lavish lunch breaks and expense the meal to their firms, but support staffers have to brown bag it — that is, if they’re permitted to take a meal break at all.

This week, we heard from staff members at Skadden Arps reporting that they weren’t even being given time to eat. Here’s what one of the louder voices had to say on the matter:

Skadden runs a support staff sweatshop in violation of NY labor laws. No official meal breaks but change is coming… in September. We are the nail salon of the legal world!

We eat at our desks for two percent raises and less-than-that while running crappy markups at any hour, for anyone, around the world. It’s like working in the fields when the boss is in the big house.

This reaction came in response to an initiative the firm is planning to roll out for staff members in a few months. Here’s the memo Skadden staffers received via email:

Staffers will finally get their meal breaks as mandated by New York State Labor Law §162, but the firm will be extending their working hours to accommodate those breaks. That seems incredibly stingy, and we’re sure that most of Skadden’s staffers would agree.

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So has Skadden, one of the most successful law firms in New York City — at least by Am Law’s measures — been running afoul of state labor laws all this time? We reached out to the firm, but have not yet received a response. If and when we do, we will update this post.

Congratulations on your newfound freedom, Skadden staffers, even if it’s coming later than you’d like it. Everyone deserves some time to take a break and eat a nice meal.

(Flip to the next page to see the full staff member meal break plan from Skadden.)

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