Biglaw

Biglaw Firm Doesn't Think Men Get Nearly Enough Credit

Paul Hastings sent out quite the email.

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When talking about the role of women at your firm, maybe we don’t put a spotlight on the men. Paul Hastings seems to think men at the firm need a pat on the back for “including [women] in client work” and other basic stuff they should be doing anyway. Pro tip: If you’re trying to promote diversity, giving (mostly) white men center stage is doing the very, very least you can do.

The infuriating email — reproduced in full below, because, wow, tone-deaf much? — was sent around the firm last week. It was designed to highlight the work that male partners have done at Paul Hastings to “champion” the cause of women. Above the Law got its hands on the email with this biting note:

Thanks to men, look what women can do at Paul Hastings

The email features glossy pictures of each of the nine male “champions,” has a bit of PR about their practice areas before featuring something good a woman has said about him. Let’s take a gander at all the “amazing” stuff these men have done for women, and realize just how low the bar really is:

They willingly gave me a seat at the table!

Standing in the corner was getting kinda awkward!

[He] shares the wealth of his knowledge with anyone willing to listen.

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“Anyone” that includes women — see we don’t get treated like second-class citizens!

[He] is a true champion to women and men at the firm and is also just a nice guy!

He meets the basic requirements for a decent human!

[He] always values my opinion and input.

As a woman, I don’t have to be quiet!

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[He] is always keen to include me in initiatives and listens to my voice.

He realizes he can bill me out at the same rate as my male counterpart!

Listen, I’m sure these are good people that probably even care about diversity in the workplace. But there is a way to handle and even promote allyship that doesn’t make it all about the men. One of the fundamental keys to being a good ally, in any context, is realizing it isn’t about you [the person with the privilege]. Certainly increasing gender diversity at the firm is something that men need to prioritize and take responsibility for, but casting men as the heroes that will save women from their own languishing careers misses the mark.

Notice how the focus isn’t on the great things women are able to do at Paul Hastings, in part, because of the mentorship they’ve received from the featured partners. It’s on the men and how wonderful they are simply because they’ve mentored women. Women have become the footnote in a story about women at the firm.

It’s a baffling logic that allows a feature about men “count” as outreach to women.


headshotKathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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