via
Getty)
When
we
last
covered
Meagan
Garland’s
discrimination
suit
against
Duane
Morris,
the
focus
was
on
where
the
lawsuit
would
take
place.
After
some
venue
changes,
the
case
landed
in
the
Northern
District
of
California.
The
merits
of
the
case
dealt
with
how
Duane
Morris
treated
their
nonequity
tier
of
partners
—
Garland
argued,
among
other
things,
that
nonequity
partnerships
were
being
used
as
a
way
for
the
firm
to
shift
business
expenses
and
tax
obligations
off
of
actual
equity
partners.
Big
claims,
but
for
allegations
like
that
to
have
any
actual
bite
to
them
they
have
to
make
it
past
a
motion
to
dismiss.
Guess
what?
The
teeth
are
sharp!
Law.com
has
coverage:
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,
rejecting
most
of
the
firm’s
motion
to
dismiss
the
class-action
complaint.The
order,
signed
by
U.S.
District
Judge
Cathy
Ann
Bencivengo
of
the
Southern
District
of
California
on
Friday,
allowed
Black
female
former
nonequity
partner
Meagan
Garland
to
proceed
with
a
broad
range
of
claims
against
the
firm,
including
allegations
of
fraud,
breach
of
contract
and
professional
negligence.
The
decision
paves
the
way
for
Garland
to
seek
discovery
into
the
firm’s
compensation
practices.
Garland’s
suit
has
several
prongs
to
it
—
one
of
them
accuses
Duane
Morris
of
discriminating
by
underpaying
her
in
comparison
to
her
white
male
peers,
but
the
widest
reaching
consequences
of
the
suit
could
come
from
bringing
to
light
the
rationale
behind
an
otherwise
black
box
compensation
system.
Once
a
fringe
firm
arrangement,
two-tiered
partnerships
have
become
so
wildly
adopted
in
the
industry
that
even
some
of
the
oldest
firms
have
adopted
the
trend.
While
it’s
still
too
early
to
call,
the
success
of
this
case
may
encourage
other
nonequity
partners
at
Biglaw
firms
to
launch
similar
cases.
Duane
Morris
Can’t
Escape
Former
Nonequity
Partner’s
Compensation
Class
Action
[Law.com]
Earlier:
Duane
Morris
Non-Equity
Partner
Lawsuit
Escalates
With
Forum
Shopping
And
Witnesses
Are
Nonequity
Partnerships
Part
Of
A
Biglaw
Tax
&
Discrimination
Scheme?
Chris
Williams
became
a
social
media
manager
and
assistant
editor
for
Above
the
Law
in
June
2021.
Prior
to
joining
the
staff,
he
moonlighted
as
a
minor
Memelord™
in
the
Facebook
group Law
School
Memes
for
Edgy
T14s
.
He
endured
Missouri
long
enough
to
graduate
from
Washington
University
in
St.
Louis
School
of
Law.
He
is
a
former
boatbuilder
who
is
learning
to
swim, is
interested
in
critical
race
theory,
philosophy,
and
humor,
and
has
a
love
for
cycling
that
occasionally
annoys
his
peers.
You
can
reach
him
by
email
at [email protected]
and
by
tweet
at @WritesForRent.