Meagan Garland's lawsuit against Duane Morris has been permitted to advance in the Northern District of California, focusing on claims of racial and gender discrimination. The judge allowed Garland to pursue allegations of misclassification of nonequity partners and unjust cost shifting practices, alongside claims of fraud and breach of contract. This decision enables Garland to investigate the firm’s compensation methods, which have become increasingly scrutinized within the legal industry. The outcome may prompt other nonequity partners to address similar issues of pay inequality.
A California federal judge has allowed the bulk of a former nonequity partner's claims that Duane Morris systemically misclassified and shifted costs of business onto non-equity partners and made discriminatory pay decisions based on her race and gender to move forward.
The decision paves the way for Garland to seek discovery into the firm's compensation practices, which have been accused of being nondiscriminatory yet cumbersomely opaque.
Garland's suit includes allegations of fraud, breach of contract and professional negligence, which aim to challenge the systematic misclassification within the firm.
The success of this case may encourage other nonequity partners at Biglaw firms to better address and challenge compensation disparities based on race and gender.
Collection
[
|
...
]