A former Kirkland & Ellis associate has sued the firm for gender discrimination, claiming she was routinely given an unmanageable workload compared to her male colleagues.

She also contended that she was often subjected to unreasonable deadlines for time-intensive projects. As evidence of her disparate treatment, the Kirkland & Ellis associate points to an occasion where she was flown home from a work trip in the coach section, while her male colleagues were flown private. In one instance, the associate agreed to an invitation to join a trial team headed by a senior woman. Despite the firm’s promises to “offload” her other work during the trial, she continued to be inundated. After working there for 10 months, she reported this gender-based discrimination and was then subjected to a series of sham evaluations that was later used to justify her unlawful termination.

The case against Kirkland & Ellis does not begin to scratch the surface of gender-based discrimination within the country’s most prestigious Big Law firms. This has huge consequences for women who want to make partner—a subjective decision often made by men.

Having represented numerous hardworking and accomplished female lawyers who were victims of gender discrimination, sexual harassment and/or retaliation by their employer, I have some insight into why just 25% of partners at U.S. law firms are women—despite the fact that they comprise more than half of law school graduates.

The unfortunate truth...

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