Part
of
choosing
your
battles
is
knowing
where
to
have
them.
Duane
Morris
is
defending
itself
from
a
suit
alleging
that
their
two-tier
partner
system
is
actually
a
cover
for
a
discrimination
and
tax
avoidance
scheme.
As
part
of
its
defense,
the
firm
wants
to
change
the
venue
from
Oakland,
California
to
make
it
easier
to
call
witnesses.
Bloomberg
Law
has
coverage:
Duane
Morris
wants
the
suit
moved
from
Oakland,
California,
to
San
Diego,
where
Garland
works.
The
firm
said
in
its
own
court
filing
that
it
plans
to
call
unnamed
partners
also
based
in
San
Diego,
who
will
testify
that
Garland
performed
poorly
on
the
job
and
took
a
prolonged
medical
leave.Garland
has
responded
by
accusing
the
firm
of
a
“smear
campaign.”
Yeah,
it
is
gonna
get
messy.
The
unnamed
partners
are
expected
to
testify
to
a
litany
of
things
that
would
give
a
Duane
Morris
a
reasonable
basis
for
not
paying
Garland
as
much
as
she
thinks
she’s
worth:
missed
deadlines,
over-billing,
actions
that
led
to
sanctions,
the
list
goes
on.
That
said,
shooting
the
messenger
doesn’t
mean
you
get
to
ignore
the
message.
Even
if
Duane
Morris
beats
the
“They’re
underpaying
me!”
charge,
the
Court
could
ultimately
decide
that
the
firm’s
partnership
structure
violates
state
laws.
Duane
Morris,
Partner
Clash
Escalates
in
Non-Equity
Status
Suit
[Bloomberg
Law]
Earlier:
Are
Nonequity
Partnerships
Part
Of
A
Biglaw
Tax
&
Discrimination
Scheme?
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 [email protected] and
by
tweet
at @WritesForRent.