The settlement this week of litigation between the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Kelley Drye & Warren over a policy forcing partners to wind down their practice and give up equity status at age 70 has resulted in a sizeable payday for the main partner involved, but it doesn’t resolve a question that continues to plague the legal industry: Is a law firm partner considered an employee, and thusly protected by discrimination laws, or is he or she considered an owner?
The case that reignited the debate is a compensation dispute between New York-based Kelly Drye and one of its former partners. Eugene D’Ablemont, a labor and employment partner, had been fighting with the firm for the better part of a decade over how much compensation he was due for work completed after he was forced to become a “life partner” at age 70 and move from an equity stake to a fixed salary.
This content has been archived.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
LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.
For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]
