Try to crack Biglaw’s glass ceiling.
Welcome back to The Pink Ghetto, a series where we take a look at some of the most appalling stories from one of the most sexist industries in the world: the legal profession. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the way women are treated in Biglaw firms, who often find themselves unable to get ahead thanks to partners’ patriarchal social mores. These are real emails that we’ve received from real readers.
When you see things like this happening, say something. Together, we can inspire the change necessary to stop this disturbing behavior from being so prevalent in the law.
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When I was at the end of my first year as an associate at a Biglaw firm, a partner who I had done a lot of work for called me into his office and said he wanted to give me a performance review in advance of formal reviews. After praising my work, he said, “There’s just one thing that I would caution you about. You’re very attractive and you should know that it’s distracting to men. If you are in a meeting full of men, they are thinking about your legs under the table. It can be limiting to your career. Juries don’t like attractive women.” And on, and on…. I walked straight from that “meeting” to my partner mentor’s office and repeated everything word for word. Although my mentor offered to support me in formally complaining, it was obvious that doing so was career suicide. I kept it to myself and left the firm a year later.
I worked at Biglaw firm for almost a year and a half before I quit because of management issues, mass associate exodus, underpayment for market rate, and failure to follow through with written promises.
There was always sexism at the firm — only two female partners in litigation — but after I gave my notice, I experienced it every single day until I left. One partner, who I considered a mentor, came into my office to discuss my resignation, and after small talk blatantly asked, “What would your father think of you quitting your job?” Another partner, a driving force behind my decision to quit, stopped by and explained, “I have never had personal or family issues, and you seem to have a lot.” He continued that he just could not relate and it made sense that I was leaving to deal with my “personal issues.” Finally, when I went to hand case files to a different male partner — a partner on the management committee — he first asked, “What does your family think of you just quitting your job?” Then he said, “What will you do to pay rent… oh, wait, you live with your family so I guess you do not have to worry about that.”
I wondered whether any of these questions would be asked of a male associate.
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As a 2L, I was looking for a position as a summer associate. I interviewed at a large firm that has a prestigious reputation in my community. The male interviewer asks me, as one of the first questions, “So, how will your children feel about you working full time?” I was aghast. My first reaction was to ask him, “How do YOUR children feel about YOU working full time?” but held my tongue and told him I had live-in help. I was shocked, as no where on my résumé did it state that I was a mother or had children. I thought it was presumptuous to assume I had kids and that even more presumptuous that it was an appropriate issue or question to be asked on an interview. No surprise, I did not get the summer associateship. It was given to a man.
Do you have a law school or law firm story you’d like to see appear in The Pink Ghetto? Please email me with “The Pink Ghetto” in the subject line (or find me on Twitter: @StaciZaretsky). You will be kept anonymous. Submissions are always welcome!
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.