Why toxic culture is to blame for women leaving law firms

[ad_1]

Last week, my LinkedIn newsfeed was filled with words of disdain, anger and frustration from fellow female lawyers and mother lawyers over the sexist and despicable text message a male partner sent to a female lawyer. She had just returned from maternity leave and notified the firm that she was resigning and joining another firm. Notably, the LinkedIn post referred to the fact that the new mother had been “asked and [was] should perform legal work” while on maternity leave.

The text message referenced in the post read: ‘What you did – collecting company pay while sitting on your ass except finding time to interview for another job – says it all. need to know about your character. Karma is a bitch. Rest assured, as far as anyone who inquires is concerned, they will hear the truth from me about the soulless, morally bankrupt person that you are.

The LinkedIn post quickly gained millions of views as other female lawyers chimed in, sharing their difficult pregnancies and the difficult motherhood experiences that followed. For example, Emily Hirsekorn, a lawyer and career leadership coach, mentioned how she endured serious health issues after giving birth to her sons and how those issues affected her even more during her maternity leave. Elaine Spector, a patent lawyer, posted a message of solidarity about her pregnancy and her tough recovery that followed. These two messages and countless others sent a very loud and clear message: Maternity leave is definitely not ‘sitting on your ass’.

The company that employed the sender of the text, Zashin & Rich, posted a since-deleted message on its LinkedIn page, “This unique text was sent in the heat of the moment by an employee upset in the belief that the former colleague while on paid leave sought employment at another law firm A second post surfaced noting that Jon Dileno (the lawyer who sent the vitriolic text) was no longer with the firm.

Seeing Dileno’s words in print in 2023 quickly brought me back to my own experiences as a young associate in the early 2000s, where I endured similar inappropriate, rude, and unprofessional verbal and written words from partners masculine. The legal profession sings about diversity in law firms, but continues to permeate a culture where women are treated and viewed as inferior.

The fact that this lawyer was asked to do work during her maternity leave also shows the deaf nature of the firm. What if it was a high-risk pregnancy? What if she suffered complications during childbirth and afterwards?

Obviously, the firm missed the memo on proper protocols, which is rather ironic given that its main area of ​​practice is labor and employment law and family law. Instead, he conducted a damages check and announced that the offending lawyer had been fired from the firm. However, the damage was done.

In a 2022 survey of women leaving the law developed by Leopard Solutions, more than 80% of women surveyed cited lack of flexibility in the work environment and work-life balance as reasons for leaving the law. one of the top 200 law firms. Over 70% of respondents said that their career trajectory caused them to move (ie no opportunity for advancement). The most startling statistic: 90% of women said they were frustrated with the support they received from their law firm. The report mentioned steps for law firms to ‘retain and uplift women’, which included a zero-tolerance policy for sexism, uncovering unconscious bias, offering equal paternity care and recognizing successes. women.

Elena Deutsch, coach and founder of WILL (Women interested in leaving the (big) law) is no stranger to these statistics. Many of the client lawyers Deutsch works with suffer from anxiety, depression, and burnout due to toxic shame. “This recent story glaringly exposes tensions that live below the surface for women lawyers. Miscarriages are common among the women I work with. The stress of (big) legal demands impacts every organ in the body, including hair loss, horrible skin rashes, gastrointestinal, vision and dental issues.

As I’ve written before in my column, the biggest problem is that our profession has allowed this toxic culture to spread through law firms without any action being taken by the American Bar Association or other governing bodies. In one of my 2021 articles, I referenced an ABA Journal article that suggested women lawyers go anti-family in order to be pro-career.

Although Dileno probably never anticipated that his rude and misogynistic text message would achieve public virality, I’m willing to bet he doesn’t send this type of text to his male counterparts, and I’m also willing to bet this isn’t his first rodeo to send these types of communications to female attorneys. It’s also why women lawyers constantly face greater strains in their legal careers, including the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light. There is often a long standing trend of this type of conduct that is simply swept under the rug by corporate giggles among the “old timers club”.

But the most important message is this: in today’s workforce, women no longer remain silent or afraid of men who harass, humiliate and berate their character or their work. “Her courage opens up a whole new world of connection and honesty for all of us,” Deutsch says.

The callous contempt and disrespect for female lawyers and mother lawyers must end. The legal profession as a whole must do better and improve – and act now. Diversity and inclusion is just a breath of fresh air unless you’re willing to do the actual work and stick to it.

To the female lawyers who have fallen prey to the persistent sexism and misogyny in law firms, remember that your law degree opens up many doors and opportunities for you to thrive – a toxic law firm culture does not doesn’t need to be your endpoint.

To the lawyer who received this egregious text and others who may experience the same horrific treatment, I hope your next career stoppage will be one that brings you unwavering respect and happiness.

Wendi Weiner is a lawyer, career expert and founder of The Writing Guru, an award-winning executive resume writing services company. Wendi creates powerful career and personal brands for lawyers, executives, and suite/board leaders for their job search and digital footprint. She also writes for major publications on alternative careers for lawyers, personal branding, LinkedIn storytelling, career strategy, and the job search process. You can reach her by email at [email protected], connect with her on LinkedIn and follow her on Twitter @thewritingguru.

[ad_2]