Biglaw Firm's Decision To Cover Abortion-Related Travel Expenses Didn't Please All Partners -- But The Firm Never Wavered
The firm's leader knew he couldn't make everyone happy, but he did what he thought was 'right.'
I had a lot of partners sen[t] me emails that said thank you. I had a lot of partners that sent me emails that said that’s inappropriate.
We did what we thought was right. [The way politics affects operations is] one of the hardest issues that law firm leaders, probably business leaders in general, are facing today.
There are people on both sides of every issue—whether it’s gun control, abortion, Saudi Arabia. You’re never going to be able to please everybody.
— Michael Heller, executive chairman and chief executive office of Cozen O’Connor, in comments given to Bloomberg Law, concerning the firm’s decision to pay for abortion-related travel expenses after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Heller said that his firm needs to balance constitutional rights against the need “to look ourselves in the mirror. We err on the side of trying to do what we think is right.” Click here to see which Biglaw firms are reimbursing for abortion-related travel expenses.
Staci 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.
