Avoiding Gender Discrimination Claims by Attorneys in the Legal Workplace

For many years, women have graduated from law school in numbers equal to men, but have lagged far behind men in promotions to partnership and selection for positions of leadership. Many female attorneys also report being subjected to harassment. When their complaints have not resulted in change, some women have pursued litigation to secure the compensation and promotions to which they believe they are entitled, including high profile cases against some of the most prominent Biglaw firms. 

In addition to violating substantive anti-discrimination laws, in 2018, the Model Rules of Professional Conduct were amended to add that discrimination in the practice of law also constitutes professional misconduct under Rule 8.4, so that attorneys found to have violated non-discrimination laws may face professional conduct investigations as well.     

This program will examine the facts alleged in some recent and ongoing cases against law firms to identify lessons from these cases for law firms and attorneys.

This program will benefit employment law attorneys and law firm leaders.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Review the statistics on women lawyers in private firms
2. Identify the key statutory provisions that protect women from discrimination in the workplace
3. Discuss the facts of key cases by women lawyers against law firms alleging employment discrimination and the legal theories on which they have relied on
4. Explore law firm best practices to avoid discrimination claims by women lawyers and how to avoid common mistakes