Facing Boom in #MeToo Work, Morgan Lewis Snags Sidley Employment Leader
Morgan Lewis says it needs more people who can help manage its high volume of matters related to workplace bias, harassment and misconduct.
February 05, 2020 at 04:07 PM
3 minute read
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius on Wednesday announced it had added the global head of Sidley Austin's labor and employment practice as the firm fields a crush of cases and investigations related to workplace bias and misconduct.
The firm needs more people who can help manage the firm's high volume of #MeToo investigations and cases, which is why Ami Wynne's experience in conducting internal investigations into allegations of discrimination, harassment and other misconduct makes her an ideal candidate, said Grace Speights, the head of Morgan Lewis' labor and employment practice.
"I can't tell you how many we're doing because we're doing so many. I get at least one or two calls every week for a #MeToo investigation," Speights said. "We see Ami as helping carry some of that load."
Joining Wynne in her jump to Morgan Lewis' Chicago office is Jonathan Lotsoff, an employment litigator. Their arrivals at Morgan Lewis comes nearly a year after the Philadelphia-based law firm scooped up eight Sidley Austin lawyers in Los Angeles, including Jennifer Zargarof, who co-led the global labor and employment practice alongside Wynne, Speights noted.
"I don't think there is another law firm as large as we are that has a labor & employment practice as large as we have," Speights said. "The firm continues to invest in this practice."
Wynne in a statement indicated that her former colleagues played in a role bringing her to Morgan Lewis, saying they "reinforced how collaborative the global team is, and how the firm is committed to creating safe and inclusive workplaces, both within Morgan Lewis and for its clients."
Wynne, a longtime member of Sidley's diversity committee, said that was "so appealing to us on a personal level, as well as a professional one."
Morgan Lewis has about 300 lawyers in its global labor and employment practice, according to a firm spokeswoman. Of all of the firm's offices, the Chicago branch of the labor and employment practice group is the busiest in terms of productivity and hours, Speights said.
"They are tremendously busy," Speights said, regarding the Chicago office. "Adding Ami and Jon will help with the work overload that's out there."
Morgan Lewis opened its office in Chicago in 2003 with nine lawyers. It now has grown to around 100 lawyers, a firm spokeswoman said.
A Sidley Austin spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
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.
You Might Like
View AllA Look Back at High-Profile Hires in Big Law From Federal Government
4 minute readArnold & Porter Matches Market Year-End Bonus, Requires Billable Threshold for Special Bonuses
3 minute readGrabbing Market Share From Rivals, Law Firms Ramped Up Group Lateral Hires
Law Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
- 1Decision of the Day: Judge Reduces $287M Jury Verdict Against Harley-Davidson in Wrongful Death Suit
- 2Kirkland to Covington: 2024's International Chart Toppers and Award Winners
- 3Decision of the Day: Judge Denies Summary Judgment Motions in Suit by Runner Injured in Brooklyn Bridge Park
- 4KISS, Profit Motive and Foreign Currency Contracts
- 512 Days of … Web Analytics
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
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