Many Biglaw firms like to give their employees opportunities to bond and make connections over something besides their work. After all, it’s these small, human interactions that can really make the daily slog of law firm life bearable. But when organizing such programming, law firms time and time again find themselves falling into sexist and racist stereotyping.
Can you guess which Biglaw firm’s gender diversity committee organized a twerking class?
That would be Irwin Mitchell, which was ranked #24 in Legal Week’s most recent UK Top 100 (a revenue-based ranking that’s similar to the Am Law 100). According to RollOnFriday, Niall Baker, the chairman of the firm’s asset management group, circulated an invitation on behalf of the firm’s gender diversity group, which came up with the idea for the class.
The invitation, open to everyone at the firm, was capped at a maximum of 20 people so the instructor could “offer individual input.” The invite recommended twerkers wear “a loose pair of shorts.”
“The class is designed to teach you the basis of Twerking,” said the email, and would include “routines as well as a Twerk choreography teaching you how to werQ to the beat.” …
The email described twerking as a “fun, effective way to get fit and stay in shape.”
Someone clearly wasn’t paying very much attention when this was suggested as an appropriate bonding activity, much less one to promote gender diversity. No one wants to shake their ass in a sexualized way at a firm-sponsored event. To refer to this as only as being tone deaf would be polite.
Here’s what a spokesperson from Irwin Mitchell said when reached for comment: “A professional dance workshop was arranged by our gender diversity group aimed at encouraging confidence, improving fitness and to raise money for a women’s domestic violence charity. Based on low engagement and feedback from colleagues we’ve taken the decision to cancel the class while still making a donation to the charity.”
Do better, Biglaw.
EXCLUSIVE Irwin Mitchell boss promotes twerking to encourage diversity [RollOnFriday]
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.