Labor / Employment
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Biglaw, Jeremy Pitcock, Kasowitz Benson, Labor / Employment, Lawsuit of the Day, Litigators, Pro Se Litigants
Berry v. Kasowitz Benson: The Empire Strikes Back
Kasowitz Benson comes to bury Berry, not to praise him. The firm has moved to dismiss the $77 million lawsuit filed against it by Gregory S. Berry, the former first-year associate at Kasowitz who claimed that the firm wrongfully terminated his employment due to its inability to handle his "superior legal mind." The firm's brief is fairly straightforward, advancing the arguments you'd expect it to make. Let's have a look, shall we? -
Biglaw, Labor / Employment, Litigators, Small Law Firms, Trials
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: Real Lawyers Settle Cases
Many litigators have a bias against settlement. It's understandable. There's no glamor in settling cases. There is a machismo (irrespective of gender) that goes along with trying cases. And it's ridiculous. Are you a "real" lawyer if you settle cases? - Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get… -
Biglaw, Labor / Employment, Money
Silly Lawyer, Overtime Is For Kids
A San Francisco appeals court decided that law clerks still waiting to pass the bar are ineligible for overtime pay. We know struggling law grads out there are eager to wring every last penny they can out of their employers. But if you step back and think about it, paying law clerks overtime is just stupid. Sorry, law clerks. Even though many of you don't use it, you guys have way too much independent discretion to get overtime....
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Asians, Biglaw, California, Feminism, Gender, Intellectual Property, Labor / Employment, Lawsuit of the Day, Litigators, Movies, Partner Issues, Partner Profits, Sexual Harassment
Youngblood v. Irell & Manella: The Law Firm Fights BackFirm denies claims and moves for arbitration.
Last month, Juliette Youngblood, an ex-partner at the elite California law firm of Irell & Manella, filed suit against her former firm. Irell did not respond to the lawsuit at the time, now it has, in a blistering 22-page filing. What does the firm have to say about the specific claims made by Youngblood? -
Caption Contests, Contests, Labor / Employment, Law Schools, Pictures, Reader Polls
Caption Contest Winner: New York Law School
It’s time to announce the winner of our most recent caption contest, involving a photograph taken at New York Law School…. -
Asians, Biglaw, California, Feminism, Gender, Intellectual Property, Labor / Employment, Lawsuit of the Day, Litigators, Partner Issues, Partner Profits, Sexual Harassment
Lawsuit of the Day: Youngblood v. Irell & ManellaFormer partner alleges sexual harassment by Morgan Chu.
A former partner at the elite law firm of Irell & Manella is suing the firm, claiming sex discrimination and retaliation. She also alleges that she was sexually harassed -- by superstar intellectual-property litigator Morgan Chu. -
Biglaw, Labor / Employment, Racism, Rudeness, Secretaries / Administrative Assistants, Sex, Sex Scandals
Nelson v. Jones Day: Case Dismissed
Jaki Nelson, an African-American woman who once worked as a legal secretary in the Los Angeles office of Jones Day, sued the firm last year. She made some explosive allegations -- but were they without merit? A California judge just dismissed her case. -
9th Circuit, Antonin Scalia, Gender, Labor / Employment, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Ted Frank, Ted Olson, Wal-Mart, Women's Issues
Supreme Court Rejects Nationwide Class Action Against Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart: where you can save money and live better, except if you're a woman. Yesterday, SCOTUS reversed the Ninth Circuit in Wal-Mart v. Dukes, and held that class action certification should not have been granted in this case involving claims of pay and promotion discrimination against female employees. - Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so… -
Associate Advice, Job Searches, Labor / Employment, Small Law Firms
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: You Know What Kind of Law You Want to Practice. Now What?
I’m under the impression that many of our readers are looking for a new job, or at least thinking about it. Some of you are still in law school and haven’t lined something up yet. Others have been laid off by a firm and are trying to find a replacement gig. Still others are unhappy […] -
Gambling / Gaming, Gender, Gloria Allred, Hotties, Labor / Employment, Old People, Women's Issues
Women Are Not Sex Objects; Cocktail Waitresses, On The Other Hand....
I have to do something I hate doing. I have to give Gloria Allred some publicity. Sure, I have to mention her only in order to say that I think she’s wrong and using the plight of women to further her own fame. But I still have to mention her, which is what she wants. […] -
Biglaw, Labor / Employment, Martha Minow, Minority Issues, Partner Issues, Racism
(Potential) Lawsuit of the Day: More From John Ray About Ropes & Gray
On Friday, we discussed the discrimination claims made against Ropes & Gray by John H. Ray III. Ray, a 2000 graduate of Harvard Law School and an African-American man, claimed that he was discriminated against and passed over for partner on account of his race. At the time of our prior post, Ray did not […] -
Biglaw, Labor / Employment, Martha Minow, Minority Issues, Partner Issues, Racism
(Potential) Lawsuit of the Day: Another Discrimination Claim Against Ropes & Gray
When I worked in private practice, I once had a case opposite Ropes & Gray. The Ropes lawyers made a highly positive impression on me. They were very talented advocates (and they continue to be talented advocates; note the firm’s recent, high-profile victory in the defense of an in-house lawyer for a drug company). Of […] -
Labor / Employment, Legal Ethics, Litigators, Small Law Firms
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: The Customer Is Always Right. Not.
You always hear this business axiom: “The customer is always right.” Whether true or not, you’re supposed to at least let the customer believe that he or she is correct. But in my experience, that doesn’t always work. Before I went to law school, I was a banker. (That sentence makes me sound old, since […]
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Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so…
Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get…
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Biglaw, Gender, Labor / Employment, Partner Issues, Women's Issues
Ex-Reed Smith Partner Drops Sex Discrimination Suit Against the Firm
Back in December, we covered a gender discrimination lawsuit filed by JoEllen Lyons Dillon, a comely corporate partner at Reed Smith, against the firm (where she still worked at the time). Dillon’s allegations were salacious. She claimed, for example, that “work was diverted … to female attorneys who were willing to engage in sexual relations […] -
Associate Advice, Labor / Employment, Small Law Firms, Solo Practitioners
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: When Should You Start Your Own Firm?
There comes a time in the career of every law-firm lawyer when she realizes that her bosses are acting like idiots, that “they’re doing it wrong,” and that she could do a better job if she were running her own law firm. Most of the time, that idea goes no further: the lawyer rattles off […] -
Canada, Defamation, Drinking, Labor / Employment, Lawyer of the Day, Parties, Partner Issues, Sex, Sex Scandals, Sexual Harassment
Booty-Dancing Toronto Partner: 'I Was Falsely Accused'
Back in January 2009, a moot court after-party hosted by Mathews, Dinsdale & Clarke got wild enough to spark allegations of sexual harassment. Canadians do know how to party, eh? The “night of debauchery” has haunted David Cowling ever since; he was one of the partners accused of getting overly friendly with female associates and […] -
Biglaw, Crime, Fast Food, Gay, Gay Marriage, Insider Trading, Kids, Labor / Employment, Mergers and Acquisitions, Securities and Exchange Commission, Securities Law, Wall Street, White-Collar Crime
Matt Kluger, Ex-Biglaw Associate Charged With Insider Trading, Is A Gay Dad -- and Once Sued Fried Frank Over It
“Aww, Matt, why do you have to go around giving us a bad name?” Ever since Matthew Kluger was charged in a massive insider trading case, involving an alleged conspiracy that spanned 17 years and generated more than $32 million in profit, the foregoing question could be asked by many groups: Cornell grads, NYU law […] -
Canada, Defamation, Drinking, Labor / Employment, Parties, Partner Issues, Sex, Sex Scandals, Sexual Harassment
Quote of the Day: A racy novel? No, just a Canadian law firm party.
[Partner David] Cowling and the very intoxicated summer student began to dance in a sexually explicit manner. The student’s arms were around Cowling’s neck and his hands were on her waist and buttocks. While dancing, Cowling placed his hand on the student’s breast. Shortly thereafter, the summer student fell to the floor. She was assisted […] -
9th Circuit, Document Review, Gender, Labor / Employment, SCOTUS, Technology, Wal-Mart, Women's Issues
Dukes Proving To Be a Hazard to Wal-Mart
In 1995, Betty Dukes took a job at a Wal-Mart near San Francisco, working as a cashier and greeter for $5 an hour. A “greeter” represents the face of the company as consumers walk through the door. Little did Dukes and Wal-Mart know that Dukes would ultimately become a face of Wal-Mart nationally, under much different circumstances. Today, […] -
Biglaw, ERISA, Gender, Intellectual Property, Labor / Employment, Litigators, Litigatrix, Old People, Partner Issues, Patents, Women's Issues
Ropes & Gray Sued for Age and Sex Discrimination By Former Partner
On Tuesday, Ropes & Gray was sued in Manhattan federal court by a former partner, Patricia A. Martone. Martone’s lawsuit claims age discrimination, sex discrimination, retaliation, and interference with protected retirement benefits in violation of ERISA (the basis for federal jurisdiction in the S.D.N.Y.). As you might expect from an ex-Ropes partner, Martone has some […]