Bias Suit Claims Cozen Promotes ‘Compliant’ Women

NLD
Sep 28, 2007 8:08 AM CST

I make no comment as to the merit or lack thereof regarding this discrimination claim. I can, however, confirm that gender and other forms of discriminiation, based on my experience, remain pervasive in the legal profession. Sure, legal professional groups attempt to address the issue through diversity seminars, diversity articles in magazines. Still, the change must begin from the bottom up. It is 2007, and yet women still confront obnoxious sexual comments and sexual harassment in law firms—law firms who gladly accept paying clients who come through their doors to file discrimination complainst against employers. Until those in the practitioner trenches “get it”, women and minorities should leave and form their own law firms.

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Damian
Sep 28, 2007 9:51 AM CST

Try to make it through your local bar journal or the ABA Journal without seeing several mentions of “diversity.”  Lack of diversity and perceived bias is perpetuated by victimhood associations and others whose importance and financial status—and in some cases, their very existence—depends upon these “problems” being viewed as existing, and significant, in our society.  The media jumps on these stories because any racism or other bias, whether actual or not, is a “major story” in our foolish culture.  This nonsense will only go away if we refuse to act as if “diversity” is the only significant issue facing the legal profession.  Will that happen?  I doubt it.  Look forward to reading about the lack of diversity and the “overwhelming” bias present in law firms today, and toward the profession’s failure to address other significant issues facing it.

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Mary J. Perry
Sep 28, 2007 2:06 PM CST

As a female attorney (Harvard Law School graduate) with nearly 20 years experience, I can definitely attest to the fact that gender discrimination is still one of the most pervasive problems facing the legal profession.  I worked at several firms, and experienced both direct and indirect gender discrimination at all of these firms.  Women attorneys at firms are routinely relegated to assignments with less prospects for advancement than males.  Women attorneys are routinely denied the mentoring and client development opportunities presented male attorneys.  At one firm where I worked, the women associates had a name for the type of work they received:  “FA work”  ie “female attorney work”.  When it comes time for partnership decisions, women attorneys are judged by different standards than male attorneys.  Many firms now advertise their “diversity” by claiming a higher percentage of women partners.  However, if you look into the partnership ranks in any detail, often these firms have promoted women attorneys to “non-equity” partner status (ie. continue to make profit for the firm in return for only a pittance of what male equity partners make).  If I sound bitter, perhaps I am.  Perhaps more women attorneys should be “bitter” about the situation.  It will not change until it becomes too unprofitable for a firm to continue to operate on a nineteenth century level.  Join firms that actually practice equality (if you can find any)  or better yet, form your own firm.  I did.

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NLD
Sep 28, 2007 7:47 PM CST

All self-respecting “compliant” women should recall and internalize the famous line from the movie “Network”:  I am mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!

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