Prof. Levinson comments on gender discrimination suits against big firms in new ABA article

In a new article for the American Bar Association's ABA Journal, Professor Ariana Levinson comments on the rising trend of female attorneys suing their firms for gender discrimination. 

The article outlines several suits brought against large firms, with female plaintiffs alleging that they have been passed over for leadership opportunities or are not earning a fair salary. 

"The choices faced by female lawyers in such situations don’t provide much appeal: Stay silent and see no change. Leave and hope for better opportunities elsewhere. Or sue, facing repercussions no matter whether they leave or stay for the legal battle," states the article.

Fighting one's firm over gender discrimination can harm a female attorney's reputation, Levinson says in the article. 

“There’s code speech, like ‘not a team player’ or ‘can’t get along with staff.’ Or ‘doesn’t go to lunch with us every week,’ ” Levinson says. “There’s all kinds of things they can say to signal that someone is a troublemaker, and people know.”

Levinson is an expert in labor and employment law issues.