Attorneys of Color

Muslim lawyer can’t sue over revoked BigLaw job offer based on this theory, federal judge rules

A federal judge in Chicago has tossed a promissory estoppel claim in a Muslim lawyer’s lawsuit against Foley & Lardner for revoking her associate job offer after learning of her comments about Israel and Gaza.

Dec 4, 2024 12:23 PM CST

Where have all the lawyers gone? 25% are in these 2 states with higher pay than $176K average

Twenty-five percent of all lawyers live in California and New York, states that include five of the top 10 metropolitan areas for attorney pay.

Nov 19, 2024 11:01 AM CST

Mississippi Senate paid Black lawyer ‘significantly less’ than white colleagues, DOJ suit alleges

A U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit has accused the Mississippi Senate of paying a Black staff lawyer about half the salary of her white colleagues.

Nov 11, 2024 1:57 PM CST

Hazed and abused, some lawyers see bullying as part of job while others leave, new study says

Bullying experienced by lawyers is causing increased turnover and “a talent drain from the profession,” according to a new Illinois survey and study thought “to be one of the first wide-scale research projects” of its kind in the United States.

Oct 2, 2024 12:03 PM CDT

Lawyers play pivotal role fighting tyranny, says incoming ABA President-elect Michelle Behnke

A strong group of attorneys advances and protects the law—and the ABA is and will continue to be the power behind those efforts, ABA President-elect Michelle Behnke said.

Aug 6, 2024 11:43 AM CDT

Sharecropper’s son who rose from poverty to become first Black New Jersey justice dies at 91

Updated: Former New Jersey Supreme Court Justice James H. Coleman Jr. died at age 91 on Aug. 2, rising from his childhood in a home without electricity and running water to become the first Black justice appointed to the state supreme court.

Aug 5, 2024 10:18 AM CDT

Duane Morris bestows partner title on powerless attorneys to shift tax and business costs, suit alleges

Duane Morris reduces business expenses and tax obligations for equity partners by shifting some of the burdens to lawyers who carry the partner title but have no equity or power in the law firm, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday.

Aug 1, 2024 10:55 AM CDT

Lewis Brisbois settles one former partner’s lawsuit; second is pending

Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith has settled a race and disability lawsuit filed by a Black former partner who cited remarks in emails by two partners who hired him.

Jul 31, 2024 12:20 PM CDT

As a prosecutor, Kamala Harris ‘tried to bridge the tricky divide’

Before she became a U.S. senator, the vice president and the potential Democratic nominee for president, Kamala Harris was a prosecutor in California who opposed the death penalty but defended capital punishment on behalf of the state. After graduating from the school formerly known as the University of California Hastings…

Jul 23, 2024 3:40 PM CDT

BigLaw DEI leader encountered bias after standing up to ‘nearly all-white firm,’ bias suit alleges

The former vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion at Armstrong Teasdale alleges in a bias lawsuit that the law firm fired her after rebuffing her requests for additional staff and preventing her from doing her job.

Jul 8, 2024 12:37 PM CDT

These law firms topped rankings for minority, female and LGBTQ lawyers

Larger law firms are making slight gains in employment of minority and female lawyers, according to rankings released last week by the American Lawyer.

Jul 3, 2024 12:41 PM CDT

This BigLaw firm is tops for culture, most important factor to surveyed law students, new report says

Culture is the most important factor for Yale Law School students when deciding which law firm offer to accept, according to a new report by Yale Law Women+.

Jun 11, 2024 1:42 PM CDT

Florida Supreme Court rules against prosecutor ousted by governor

The Florida Supreme Court has ruled against the elected prosecutor in the Orlando, Florida, area in a challenge to her suspension from office by the state’s governor.

Jun 7, 2024 8:56 AM CDT

‘The Originalism Trap’ author wants to see originalism dead, dead, dead

Originalism is the ascendant legal theory espoused by conservative legal thinkers, including the majority of U.S. Supreme Court justices. But far from being an objective framework for constitutional interpretation, says author and attorney Madiba K. Dennie, its true purpose is to achieve conservative political aims regardless of the historical record.

Jun 5, 2024 9:04 AM CDT

Michelle Behnke looks to build community and strengthen the ABA with new strategic plan

“There are moments I’m amazed that a kid from Wisconsin is in this position, but at the same time, the ABA is a home for everybody,” Michelle Behnke, the ABA president-elect nominee, says. “You don’t have to be from an elite law school and a big law firm to contribute, and that part is pretty amazing to me as well.”

Jun 1, 2024 12:40 AM CDT