Tall, Male and Jewish: The Claims in the Greenberg Traurig Lawsuit

More on the Greenberg Traurig lawsuit. This suit only becomes more interesting by the day. Now, The Phoenix Business Journal is saying that former partner Francine Friedman Griesing, was told that only “tall, male and Jewish” attorneys succeed at Greenberg.

Griesing is the only named plaintiff in the lawsuit, but the suit is seeking class certification. The lawsuit alleges that the law firm of Greenberg Traurig practices gender-based discrimination.

So does the lawsuit say what many female lawyers think? The complaint of women feeling disparity echoes loud and clear in high power industries such as law and finance, as we’ve seen recently with the case of Ellen Pao, who’s suing the venture capital powerhouse Kleiner Perkins.

Greenberg isn’t having any of it. They deny her allegations. And now we’re also learning that they deny firing her. Rather, they claim that she left on her own.

But Griesing claims that the firm stopped assigning her work, which in legal terms is called a constructive dismissal. It’s when an employee isn’t fired but is pushed out. Why is her lawsuit worth $200 million, though? Partners don’t make that much, do they?

The large number is due to the class certification that the lawsuit seeks. If all the women at Greenberg join the lawsuit, then the damages could be well over $200 million.

Griesing also claims that the law firm told her that they would decrease Griesing’s bonus to offer higher bonuses to male partners who had “families to support,” writes The Business Journal.

While Greenberg denies the allegations, the EEOC feels that there is are viable claims. Greenberg is saying that the EEOC’s findings aren’t representative of the entire firm but are limited to one office and a handful of employees.

This is an important lawsuit because of the magnitude and because it’s fairly uncommon for attorneys to sue large law firms. But it’s equally uncommon for other attorneys to join a class suing their employer.

So what will the future hold for the women of Greenberg Traurig?

Related Resources:

• Philadelphia Employment Lawyers (FindLaw)
• Former Partner Sues Greenberg Traurig Over Gender Discrimination (FindLaw’s Philadelphia Employment Law Blog)
• Ellen Pao: The Woman Who Shook Up the Big Boys Club (FindLaw’s Philadelphia Employment Law Blog)