Sexism, Sexual Harassment

The Pink Ghetto: Sexism & Sexual Harassment In The Law

Ugh. Have you ever experienced anything like this?

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sexual harassmentWelcome back to The Pink Ghetto, a series where we take a look at some of the most appalling stories from one of the most sexist industries in the world: the legal profession. Today, we’ll take a look at more instances of the sexism and sexual harassment women are subjected to in their careers as lawyers. These are real emails that we’ve received from real readers.

When you see things like this happening, say something. Together, we can inspire the change necessary to stop this disturbing behavior from being so prevalent in the law. We owe it to ourselves and future generations.

I was in my first year at a small litigation firm in a major city, after doing government work for five years. I got pregnant shortly after I started. I was due about a month after my one-year anniversary. I received 12 weeks of leave, no pay. No associates received pay for leave, no matter their year. I had every intention of returning to work, ideally part-time, but I was open to telecommuting a couple days a week or other arrangements. The partner I worked closest with was on board to work something out with me, but did not have discussions about it with any of the other partners. Prior to my leave, I was told I had to meet with the managing partner. He told me that, in his experience, “girls like me” don’t come back after having a baby. I assured him I planned to return and had done nothing to indicate otherwise. A couple weeks into my leave, the partner I worked for had a stroke and was hospitalized. The firm was unwilling to work anything out with me in his absence, having not known of our discussions prior to my leave. I wasn’t making enough to offset the cost of childcare if I went back full-time. I resigned, and looked for a new job.

That year, two other women besides me got pregnant, after no attorney getting pregnant for a number of years. One returned to work full-time. The other quit.

I began working at an Am Law 100 firm in October of 2014. I went to orientation in Atlanta with the other first-year associates. A partner took the first year associates out to dinner and drinks. At drinks, he began rubbing my leg under the table. I kept moving my leg away, but he kept doing it. Finally I turned my entire body so he could no longer touch me. He finally left. I was in shock because this was my third day of work straight out of law school. That night – just 30 minutes or so after this interaction – he put me on a case with them. Throughout that first year, he continued to try to touch me at firm events or say inappropriate remarks. He targeted the other female first year associate as well, and would ask her out on dates. He continued to monopolize my time and by the end of my first year, I was almost exclusively working on his cases. I had catalogued every inappropriate interaction, and reported him to HR. He got a big promotion that year. All I can say is that I am no longer working with the firm. I now have my own practice, but it was took a while to land on my feet again.

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Do you have a law school or law firm story you’d like to see appear in The Pink Ghetto? Email me (subject line: “The Pink Ghetto”) or find me on Twitter, @StaciZaretsky. You will be kept anonymous. Submissions are always welcome.

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky has been an editor at Above the Law since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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