Women in the Law

Legal secretary’s suit claims partners’ tirades constituted sex bias, caused panic attack

A legal secretary says two Venable partners yelled, humiliated and demeaned her to such an extent that their conduct constituted sex discrimination under California’s fair employment law. Marjan Rabbi, a legal secretary with a JD from Whittier Law School, filed the suit in superior court in Los Angeles on Aug.…

Aug 8, 2019 11:01 AM CDT

A victim of assault takes an unintentional career path

On a summer night in 1984, I left my uniformed patrol job at the University of California at Berkeley Police Department and walked home alone in darkness. I was a 19-year-old sophomore. At the threshold of my apartment, a man assaulted me at knifepoint. After a soul-chilling struggle, I managed…

Aug 8, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

How the push for inclusion in law firm hiring can carve a path for female talent

There is a fierce battle for talent underway in American law firms that could benefit women lawyers. Because firms are competing, employers should have stronger incentives than ever to retain their most valued lawyers.

Jul 16, 2019 8:00 AM CDT

Lawyer awarded $229K in pregnancy bias suit after judge slams defendant law firm for slow discovery

A Chicago immigration lawyer has been awarded $229,498 in her suit claiming that she was fired from her job at a law firm after disclosing her pregnancy. U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer awarded the money to Jessica Hernandez last week after entering a default judgment against the Katz Law Office…

Jul 9, 2019 11:45 AM CDT

BigLaw firm earns top spot for number of female attorneys; what other firms made the cut?

A new firm is No. 1 on the National Law Journal’s 2019 Women in Law Scorecard, which ranks the largest law firms in the country by their representation of female attorneys. Berry Appleman & Leiden, an immigration firm based in San Francisco, reported to the National Law Journal that 59.2%…

Jul 1, 2019 2:43 PM CDT

A natural migration: Descendant of immigrants works to protect civil rights

Many migrant men, women and children are fleeing their homelands to seek safety from violence. My maternal and paternal family members migrated to the United States from Mexico in search of opportunity and with hopes of realizing a dream.

Jul 1, 2019 2:20 AM CDT

San Diego lawyer launches all-female, all-partner virtual firm

The fledgling virtual firm Vanst Law in San Diego has no office, no break room and no conference room of its own—so the partners get creative about finding ways to stay collegial. “Our firm culture is extremely important to us. We can’t meet at the watercooler, but isolation isn’t a problem,” says founder and CEO Cynthia Morgan-Reed.

Jul 1, 2019 1:25 AM CDT

Facebook recognizes diversity efforts of outside counsel with award to Kilpatrick Townsend

Facebook has tapped Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton for its first Law Firm Diversity Champion Award.

Jun 25, 2019 3:12 PM CDT

University of Idaho law professor sues school for racial and gender discrimination

A black female law professor alleging race and gender discrimination in employment and education has filed a federal lawsuit against the University of Idaho College of Law. In her complaint filed June 19 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, Shaakirrah Sanders, the first black person to…

Jun 24, 2019 2:40 PM CDT

Former Jones Day partner drops suit claiming ‘enforced code of silence’ led to pay bias

A former Jones Day partner in California has dropped her pay bias suit against the law firm in exchange for return of capital that she contributed to the firm. Lawyer Wendy Moore has dismissed all her claims, according to a statement by the law firm emailed to the ABA Journal.…

Jun 18, 2019 3:28 PM CDT

Ginsburg says Kennedy’s retirement was ‘event of greatest consequence’ for current term

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg appeared to suggest Friday that the number of sharply divided cases will increase as the term ends, beating the current percentage of about 25%. And she also appeared to suggest that the retirement of Justice Anthony M. Kennedy is affecting the outcomes. Ginsburg…

Jun 10, 2019 10:15 AM CDT

Another University of Denver law professor sues school alleging gender and wage discrimination

A tenured associate professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law has filed an Equal Pay Act complaint, claiming that she earns significantly less than others in her academic category.

Jun 10, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

Lawyer count in US increases 14.5% from decade ago; these 5 states have highest number of active attorneys

The number of active lawyers in the United States increased 14.5% over the last decade, according to statistics released Friday by the ABA. The total number of active lawyers at the beginning of 2019 was 1,352,027, up from 1,180,386 in 2009, according to the ABA’s National Lawyer Population Survey. The…

Jun 3, 2019 11:46 AM CDT

Bullying and sexual harassment ‘are rife in the legal profession,’ global survey finds

One in three female lawyers have been sexually harassed in a work context, while one in two women have experienced bullying in the workplace, according to a recently released global survey of nearly 7,000 lawyers in 135 countries. The numbers were somewhat lower for male lawyers. One in 14 men…

May 16, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

BigLaw firm wins partial dismissal of 2 plaintiffs’ claims in gender bias suit

A federal magistrate judge has tossed some claims by two former Morrison & Foerster associates who sued the law firm for alleged gender bias in a would-be class action. The May 1 decision by U.S. Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley allows the women a chance to replead their claims, Bloomberg…

May 6, 2019 7:30 AM CDT