Earlier this month it was revealed that six women are in the process of suing Jones Day over accusations of alleged gender discrimination (to catch up see here and here). The timing of the lawsuits coincides with the end of a yearlong research partnership between the American Bar Association and ALM Intelligence which looked into the experience of women working inside Big Law. Depressingly, the findings from the research project and the details of the lawsuits have much in common.
The lawsuits against Jones Day include detail on a list of alarming behavior including gender stereotyping during pay and promotion decisions and name-calling. In one instance a male summer associate received applause and high-fives after pushing a female summer associate into a pool at an event hosted at a partner’s private home. The lawsuit also describes a female’s maternity leave experience. Upon returning from her first maternity leave she was subjected to a salary freeze and negative reviews. After her second maternity leave, she was told to look for another job. Another suit filed last year claims the firm’s compensation and performance review systems purposely discriminate against females.
