There
isn’t
nearly
enough
tension
on
your
shoulders!
(Image
via
Getty)
Retaliation
claims
can
get
messy.
After
being
fired
from
Davis
Polk
in
2019,
Kaloma
Cardwell
claimed
that
the
firing
was
in
response
to
his
complaints
about
racial
discrimination
at
the
firm.
I
feel
like
most
people
will
complain
after
allegedly
being
excluded
from
the
team
emails
involving
the
cases
they
were
assigned
to
and
having
a
harder
time
getting
eye
contact
reciprocated
from
higher-ups
than
having
a
staring
context
in
the
Birdbox
universe.
Cases
like
these
usually
get
settled
before
they
see
the
light
of
the
courtroom.
This
is
not
one
of
those
times.
The
trial
is
already
under
way,
and
some
of
the
complaints
about
his
work
are
already
extremely
nit-picky.
From
the
ABA
Journal:
[Rocio]
Clausen[,
a
lawyer
who
was
a
professional
development
manager
for
the
law
firm,]
said
Cardwell
thought
that
the
assignment
would
take
away
from
his
work
with
the
mergers
and
acquisitions
group,
in
which
he
was
involved.
Cardwell
said
“African
American
men
were
generally
disadvantaged”
in
the
legal
field,
and
he
didn’t
want
to
hurt
his
M&A
prospects,
Clausen
testified.Clausen
said
Cardwell
was
working
fewer
hours
than
other
M&A
lawyers,
and
his
refusal
to
help
“was
very
upsetting
to
me.”Clausen
said
Cardwell’s
relaxed
body
language
during
the
meeting
was
“cavalier.”
She
demonstrated
by
leaning
back
in
her
chair,
according
to
Law.com.
Truly
a
missed
career
path
—
why
is
she
a
lawyer
when
she
could
have
been
an
actor!
The
only
other
way
Cardwell’s
alleged
demeanor
could
have
been
accurately
described
is
this
timeless
Simpsons
clip:
The
concrete
issue
of
if
Cardwell
was
working
less
than
his
peers
is
one
thing,
but
taking
someone
to
task
for
not
being
visibly
stressed
out
isn’t
the
own
you
think
it
is.
Reminder:
you
cannot
tell
how
busy
or
stressed
someone
is
just
by
looking
at
them.
Witness
for
fired
BigLaw
associate
describes
‘cavalier’
body
language,
refusal
to
help
in
a
pinch
[ABA
Journal]
Earlier:
Davis
Polk
Hit
With
Racial
Discrimination
Lawsuit
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
cannot
swim, a
published
author
on
critical
race
theory,
philosophy,
and
humor,
and
has
a
love
for
cycling
that
occasionally
annoys
his
peers.
You
can
reach
him
by
email
at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and
by
tweet
at @WritesForRent.