Burned out BigLaw lawyer vents about glass ceiling on Reddit
An associate who quit her $400,000 a year job at Squire Patton Boggs felt the need to vent.
Kristen Jarvis Johnson believed her career stalled after becoming pregnant with her second child, and she confessed on Reddit that she was “feeling a bit surreal and possibly insane” for giving up the job. But she was explicit about the reasons for her decision to leave her international practice in Qatar to work full-time at her new toy company.
“I became disgusted by luxury lifestyle and lawyers who would give anything and everything to make millions,” Johnson wrote. “I encountered blatant gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and a very clear glass ceiling. Having a baby apparently makes you worth less as a lawyer. …
“As a lawyer, I was working sometimes 300 hours in a month and missing my kids all the time. I felt guilty for spending any time not firm related. I never had a vacation where I did not work. I missed my dear grandmother’s funeral in December. In March I made the final decision that this could not last. There must be a better way. So I resigned.”
Johnson began writing at 3:30 a.m. on April 26. By the time she stopped responding to reader questions later in the day, she had received 3,048 comments, the Am Law Daily (sub. req.) reports. She spoke with both the Am Law Daily and the Washington Post about her experiences.
Johnson will be working full time at a company she started called Boy Story. Its lifelike boy dolls will sell for $99 and will be available later this year.
“We always talk about change, and we complain about our circumstances, and we just get stuck,” Johnson told the Am Law Daily. “The reality is, the only way you can change something is to change. You have to make the decision and take the action. Nothing is going to change unless it comes from you.”
Johnson also gave the Am Law Daily more details of her experience at the law firm. She had always had glowing reviews, and had another great review in 2014 while she was out on maternity leave. Yet, for the first time, she did not receive a bonus. Last winter, she got another very good review, but it did not result in a bonus. When she asked why, she says, she was told she is a highly paid associate, her compensation package is high enough, and she needs to work a little harder.
Johnson says she was working with a majority of men in the international disputes group. “The ones I knew were all single or with stay-at-home wives, probably working even crazier hours than me,” she told the Am Law Daily. “I made up my mind that this wasn’t the right fit for me.”
Johnson told the Washington Post she had discussed hitting the glass ceiling with a female lawyer who was a leader in the firm. “Through tears, she described to me the massive number of instances where she had pushed forward an idea or proposal, and then the inner group of male leaders seized it, held meetings without telling her and took credit,” Johnson said.
Squire Patton Boggs spokesman Angelo Kakolyris disputed Johnson’s characterization of her law firm experience. He told the Washington Post that 13 of 29 lawyers promoted globally this year were women, and two of the four partners in Johnson’s office in Doha were women. In the firm’s Middle East practice, one woman made partner while on maternity leave and another made partner a year after taking maternity leave.
Kakolyris gave this statement to the Am Law Daily and the Washington Post: “We were disappointed to see the comments made by Ms. Johnson and strongly disagree with these comments, particularly with her assessment of the firm’s policies toward women. We are committed to a firm culture that promotes full and equal participation, advancement and retention of women. This is demonstrated by the many exceptional women leaders throughout our firm, including those serving on our global board, acting as practice group leaders and office managing partners, as well as our general counsel.”
