Biglaw, Sexism, Women's Issues

Sick And Tired Of Biglaw Firm's Glass Ceiling, Associate Quits And Leaves Media Firestorm Over Sexism In Her Wake

What can you do to combat sexism and gender bias in the legal profession?

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Would you give up Biglaw to escape the glass ceiling?

Would you give up your Biglaw life of luxury to escape the glass ceiling at your firm?

Imagine, if you will, the following scenario: You’re a fairly successful associate at a large law firm where you’ve worked for almost a decade. Your annual salary is nearly $400,000, a “very nice salary” by any means. You survived the Great Recession, and you even survived a law firm merger. You think you must surely be under consideration for partnership, but unfortunately, there’s just one problem.

You’re a woman.

During your time at the firm, you’ve witnessed “blatant gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and a very clear glass ceiling,” and you’re not so sure anymore that this is a lifestyle you want to continue leading. You want to have another child, but you know from experience that “having a baby apparently makes you worth less as a lawyer.”

What do you do?

If you’re completely dissatisfied with your job, you could do exactly what Kristen Jarvis Johnson, a nine-year veteran of Squire Patton Boggs, did — you could quit.

The aftermath of Johnson turning in her resignation, however, caused a media firestorm after she engaged in a 10-hour Ask Me Anything session on Reddit. Her story resonated deeply with fellow attorneys. Here’s a brief snippet of what she had to say on the site:

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[F]or the past 9 years I have been a Partner-track associate at a Biglaw firm. They sent me to Doha, [Qatar,] for the past 2.5 years. While there, I worked on some amazing projects and was in the most elite of practice groups. … I became disgusted by luxury lifestyle and lawyers who would give anything and everything to make millions. I encountered blatant gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and a very clear glass ceiling. Having a baby apparently makes you worth less as a lawyer. … As a lawyer, I was working sometimes 300 hours in a month and missing my kids all the time. I felt guilty for spending any time not firm related. I never had a vacation where I did not work. I missed my dear grandmother’s funeral in December. In March I made the final decision that this could not last. There must be a better way. So I resigned.

After working for the firm for almost a decade, Johnson began to experience issues with gender bias. In an interview with the Washington Post, she said a female leader at her firm told her about numerous instances where her ideas and proposals were stolen from her, with male leaders taking credit for them. She’d even heard stories of male partners saying “the partnership isn’t a place for working moms.” But what was the straw that broke the camel’s back and made Johnson decide that she needed to resign?

Here’s a small portion from Johnson’s op-ed piece published in Big Law Business:

Kristin Jarvis Johnson (Photo via LinkedIn)

Kristin Jarvis Johnson (Photo via LinkedIn)

For my career, I thought I could move past a senior partner trying to grab my leg or asking for a hotel rendezvous during lunch.

Then I hit my breaking point. The working environment spiraled downward after the firm merger. I saw women in leadership positions leave en masse within the first few months of the merger. My workload was constant and unrelenting. I had my second child, and balanced my maternity leave with my continuing work obligations.

Then I was turned down for a bonus for the first time while on maternity leave. I came back to work and hit the ground running in March of last year. Never took a real break, even on vacation, and gave it my all. My new baby was demanding, but I juggled his (and my older son’s) demands with everything else, even taking him and our nanny overseas to continue nursing during a long hearing. My grandmother — after whom my own son is named — died right before a hearing, and her funeral was during another. I was too busy even to mourn, let alone attend the funeral.

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Johnson found diversity lacking at the firm, and felt there was a huge gender imbalance. She was once again turned down for a bonus and told to work harder than she already had been — so she quit. “This is an opportunity to regain the things I value in life, continue to pursue a successful career — but on my own terms, and to stop supporting a broken and biased firm system. I decided not to fight to break a glass ceiling, only to find myself in a hostile, overly-competitive, and unhealthy environment,” Johnson wrote.

Squire Patton Boggs, of course, was “disappointed” by Johnson’s op-ed and “strongly disagree[d]” with her comments, in a statement given to Big Law Business:

We are committed to a firm culture that promotes full and equal participation, advancement and retention of women. This vision is supported throughout our firm and guided by the tireless efforts of our Legal Personnel Committee and Women’s Enterprise which were long-ago established to ensure our policies and procedures consider how the sometimes immersive nature of the legal industry could negatively impact women in the profession. This is demonstrated by the many exceptional women leaders throughout our firm, including those serving on our Global Board, acting as Practice Group Leaders and Office Managing Partners, as well as our General Counsel and Global Chief Operating Officer. This commitment extends throughout our Middle East practice. Four lawyers have been promoted to partner in the Middle East since the Squire Patton Boggs merger — two men and two women. Of the women, one was on maternity leave the year she made partner and the second was on maternity leave the year before she made partner. During the period when Ms. Johnson was in Doha, there were four partners in the office, two of whom were women. Our Doha office was also founded in 2003 by a woman partner who was the first non-Qatari attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Qatar and supported Ms. Johnson’s move to the office.

Now that she’s escaped from Biglaw, Johnson wants to “focus [her] energy on doing something great that contributes to breaking down gender barriers and glass ceilings.” She started a company called Boy Story with her sister, and they’re selling life-like dolls for boys — something that’s been missing in toy aisles. If you’re interested in helping her get this idea off the ground, you can donate via her Kickstarter page.

What can you do to combat sexism and gender bias in the legal profession? Resigning is one option, but we’re interested in hearing ideas that can be instituted throughout all firms. Please email us or text us (646-820-8477) with your thoughts. All law firms — and Biglaw firms, especially — should be interested in retaining their female talent, instead of driving them out. Leaving shouldn’t be the only option that’s left for women.

How a ‘Burned-Out’ International Lawyer Ditched Squire Patton Boggs [Am Law Daily]
Ex-Associate’s Reddit Post on Gender Bias Strikes a Chord [Big Law Business]
Perspective: Why I Quit Big Law For a Toy Company [Big Law Business]
Squire Patton Expresses Commitment to Women in Response to Op-Ed [Big Law Business]
She ditched her $400,000-a-year legal job after her ‘woman’s card’ only held her back [Washington Post]
Ex-Squire Patton Boggs associate reveals ‘blatant’ gender discrimination and sexual harassment in explosive Reddit Q&A [Legal Cheek]

Staci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. Follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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