The
Biglaw
firm
Dechert
recently
filed
a
New
York
state
lawsuit
against
a
former
senior
project
attorney,
Kathleen
Fay,
over
$132,000+
in
compensation
the
firm
says
it
mistakenly
paid.
Fay
worked
for
Dechert
in
various
capacities
between
2018
and
2024.
She
was
initially
hired
on
a
year-long
contract
that
was
later
extended,
but,
based
on
client
and
business
needs,
transitioned
to
a
temporary
employee.
That
employment
contract
specified
she
would
only
be
paid
on
an
hourly
basis
for
work
specifically
assigned.
But
that
led
to
a
whoopsie,
which,
according
to
Dechert,
led
to
the
overpayment.
Per
the
complaint,
“Upon
learning
of
the
administrative
error
in
mid-May
2024,
Plaintiff
demanded
that
Defendant
repay
the
erroneous
payments
for
unearned
wages,
but
Defendant
has
refused
to
comply.”
Fay
hit
back
at
the
allegations
against
her,
as
reported
by
Law.com:
Fay,
who
works
at
Fordham
University
School
of
Law,
hit
back
at
the
suit,
saying
in
an
that
“Dechert’s
accusations
are
baseless
and
its
actions
are
unethical.”“I
do
not
believe
Dechert
would
have
tried
to
recoup
money
had
I
not
found
a
new
job
just
when
work
started
to
pick
up
again
at
the
firm,”
she
added,
while
highlighting
Am
Law
100
reporting
that
indicated
the
firm
earned
over
$1.29
billion
in
revenue
in
2024,
with
equity
partners
earning
over
$3.5
million
per
year.“I
worked
for
Mark
Cheffo
and
Sheila
Birnbaum’s
product
liability
team
for
over
a
decade,
and
am
now
a
law
librarian
earning
less
than
a
paralegal.
It
is
unfortunate
that
Dechert
has
chosen
to
remove
my
vested
funds
from
my
401K
account
and
to
bully
me
in
public.
However,
the
equities
and
the
law
favor
me
and
I
look
forward
to
vindicating
my
rights
and
reputation
in
court.”
The
complaint
alleges
conversion
and
unjust
enrichment,
and
seeks
the
return
of
the
overpayment
along
with
fees
and
legal
costs.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@[email protected].