The first rule of being a lawyer is to do right by your clients. The second rule is to not do wrong by them. Seems simple enough, but the lawsuit accusing Brown Rudnick of mocking and discriminating against one of their former clients suggests that partners and associates could use a quick reminder. Law.com has coverage:
A former client of Brown Rudnick has brought a bias suit against the firm, one of its current partners and two of its former attorneys, alleging they discriminated against her based on her sexuality and gender expression. The suit claims the firm’s discrimination culminated when Brown Rudnick attorneys resigned from representing her in a litigation matter.
Esme Jourdain said in her Tuesday complaint in Manhattan Supreme Court that Brown Rudnick partner Cameron Moxley, former partner Kyle Johnson and former counsel Anthony Boccamazzo repeatedly discriminated against her based yon [sic] her sexuality, while they were representing her in a Connecticut property dispute. The suit says the attorneys referred to Jourdain pejoratively as “the queen,” “queen Esme” or “QE” because she is a homosexual, gender-nonconforming woman, while referring to other clients of the firm and the other parties in her case by their proper names.
Though I’d wager that the average property dispute is nowhere near as attention-grabbing as Slay the Spire 2’s early access, making fun of your client with pet names isn’t the way to spice things up. And while it is important to keep your client abreast of the work you’re doing on their behalf, looping them in to being mocked is just stupid — Jourdain alleges that the attorneys made a sex- and gender-based joke while she was on a phone call.
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The firm explained away dropping her case because of a “communication breakdown” between Jourdain and the firm rather than discrimination. As the details get worked out in court, here’s a suggestion: don’t get creative when referring to the people you work with. Don’t call judges “Honey” and don’t grant your clients unearned titles of nobility. Staying true to rule #2 will save you and your firm a lot of trouble.
Ex-Client Hits Brown Rudnick With Discrimination Suit [Law.com]
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Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boat builder who is learning to swim and is interested in rhetoric, Spinozists and humor. Getting back in to cycling wouldn’t hurt either. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and by tweet at @WritesForRent.