Biglaw

Biglaw Associate Arrested For Breaking Curfew After Protest Has His Firm's Support For Now

But will Biglaw continue to support attorney activism in the future?

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(Image via Justin Maffett)

From day one, I wanted to create a safe space where I could integrate my passion for social justice with the job. The balancing act for me has come in the last 36 hours or so. I obviously have billable work I need to get to, calls today that I need to plan for. The difference right now is that we are under work-from-home and stay-at-home orders. With that comes more autonomy over your schedule and the ability to shift your responsibilities around. Working from home, I can multitask in a way that I could not in the office.

I want to be as optimistic as possible and am heartened by what has been demonstrated in the last few days. [But] my concern is that once the city starts to open up, when bars and restaurants are open, people will find other ways to spend their time when they have to start doing the 9-5 again.

— Justin Maffett, a first-year associate at Debevoise & Plimpton, commenting on how he’s balancing the fight for social change during the pandemic while working in Biglaw. Maffett was arrested earlier this month following a protest and charged with a misdemeanor for breaking New York City’s 8 p.m. curfew. Debevoise has supported him, and will be representing him in court on those charges.

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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