Not Everyone Cheers Kirkland's Move to End Associate Arbitration Policy
As more firms bow to pressure to abandon mandatory arbitration provisions, some observers warn of unintended consequences for young lawyers.
November 27, 2018 at 09:58 AM
4 minute read
The original version of this story was published on The American Lawyer
Even the world's richest law firm can't ignore a hashtag these days—especially one that threatens to limit its access to top talent.
Kirkland & Ellis gave critics of mandatory arbitration provisions a reason to be grateful just before the Thanksgiving holiday, when the country's top-grossing firm announced it would no longer require associates and summer associates to sign mandatory arbitration provisions to work there.
In making its decision, Kirkland was bowing to a nearly two-week campaign organized by a Harvard Law School student group, The Pipeline Parity Project. The campaign, which adopted the hashtag #DumpKirkland, encouraged law students to boycott the firm during the upcoming summer associate recruiting season unless it nixed the arbitration clauses from its employment contracts.
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Trending Stories
- 1The Law Firm Disrupted: For Big Law Names, Shorter is Sweeter
- 2Wine, Dine and Grind (Through the Weekend): Summer Associates Thirst For Experience in 'Real Matters'
- 3'Fire All the Bullets Now': EEOC Enforcements Surge
- 4'I'm Staying Everything': Texas Bankruptcy Judge Halts Talc Trials Against J&J
- 5Suspect in Courthouse Bombing Was Targeting Judge, Deputies, Say Prosecutors
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250