Biglaw

Think You'll Have A Pleasant Experience As A Pregnant Biglaw Associate? Think Again.

Women in Biglaw may face discrimination during their pregnancies.

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[A] friend from work texted, “I have something to tell you.” She had overheard the partner on the phone the night before. “He said you flaked again for some pregnancy-related excuse.”

The words stung like finding out from a friend that my boyfriend had been cheating on me. I had given so much of myself, my time, my sweat, my tears and my pregnancy to this man. But the second I expected some basic human consideration, I was thrown away like a dirty diaper. If I couldn’t give them everything, I was nothing. I had fallen into the stereotype of a woman whose priorities had shifted and my baby hadn’t even been born.

I knew there was no choice. I had to leave.

— Jenny Leon, a former Biglaw associate, describing the stressful work environment that she reportedly endured during her pregnancy, where she says she often found herself “being constantly berated by egomaniacs.” One night, as she contemplated going to the hospital because she was spotting at 35 weeks pregnant, a partner called, shouted at her, and allegedly seemed “annoyed” that she had to attend to what she believed was a medical emergency. It was then that she knew she could no longer work at the firm. “I left my law firm after being discriminated against during my pregnancy. This experience is not unique,” she claims in an op-ed at Scary Mommy.

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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