LA Associate, Linklaters Crypto Expert Move Forward With 'Mommy Track' Suit Against MoFo
Los Angeles associate Sherry William and Linklaters senior counsel Joshua Ashley Klayman withdrew their request to proceed anonymously in a lawsuit claiming that Morrison & Foerster discriminates against pregnant women and new mothers.
December 10, 2019 at 06:02 PM
3 minute read
Morrison & Foerster/courtesy photo
The two remaining plaintiffs in the lawsuit claiming that Morrison & Foerster discriminates against pregnant women and new mothers have made their names public.
Los Angeles MoFo associate Sherry William and Joshua Ashley Klayman, a cryptocurrency expert who is now senior counsel at Linklaters, withdrew their motion to proceed anonymously in the lawsuit in a court filing Tuesday morning.
The two women, previously identified as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 6, respectively, in court papers, are the last two remaining name plaintiffs in the lawsuit. The firm's lawyers at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and the plaintiffs' lawyers at Sanford Heisler Sharp filed court papers late last month indicating that the other five plaintiffs in the case, Jane Does 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7, had resolved their claims with the firm. The parties did not disclose the terms of any settlements.
William and Klayman did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment Tuesday. Their lawyers at Sanford Heisler said in a statement that "Ms. William and Ms. Klayman are committed to vigorously prosecuting their individual and class claims of gender discrimination and maternity discrimination against Morrison & Foerster."
According to her bio on the MoFo website, William practices in the firm's finance and projects group and has handled matters for developers, lenders, and investors in project finance deals in the U.S. and abroad while also working on M&A and corporate finance deals. The complaint claims that the partner appointed by the firm to be William's mentor told her "parents tend not to do well in this group." The complaint further claims that William was held back from her associate class after returning from maternity leave, before being unfairly evaluated and encouraged to leave the firm. A 2010 graduate of Harvard Law School, she is currently the president of the Harvard Law School Association of Los Angeles, according to LinkedIn and the organization's website.
Klayman, the founding chairwoman of MoFo's blockchain and smart contracts group, claims she was repeatedly denied promotion to the partnership after taking several maternity leaves. Linklaters hired Klayman, who is based in New York, to be its U.S. head of fintech in July. According to LinkedIn, the move to Linklaters came after Klayman practiced for a time in a blockchain-focused boutique, Klayman LLC, and founded a blockchain consulting and advisory firm, Inflection Point Blockchain Advisors.
A MoFo spokesman said the firm doesn't have any comment beyond its previous statements and filings in the matter. The firm previously publicly defended its track record of hiring and promoting women.
Read more:
In 'Mommy Track' Lawsuit Against Morrison & Foerster, 5 Jane Doe Plaintiffs Settle
Plaintiff in 'Mommy Track' Suit Against MoFo Fights Request for Records From Her New Employer
Judge Puts an Early End to Morrison & Foerster's Sanction Request in Gender Bias Lawsuit
In 'Mommy Track' Lawsuit, MoFo Points to Its Track Record for Defense
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
© 2025 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 All
Law Firms Look to Gen Z for AI Skills, as 'Data Becomes the Oil of Legal'
Law Firms Expand Scope of Immigration Expertise Amid Blitz of Trump Orders
6 minute read
Pearl Cohen Enters San Francisco Market Via Combination With IP Boutique
Law Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
- 1Uber Files RICO Suit Against Plaintiff-Side Firms Alleging Fraudulent Injury Claims
- 2The Law Firm Disrupted: Scrutinizing the Elephant More Than the Mouse
- 3Inherent Diminished Value Damages Unavailable to 3rd-Party Claimants, Court Says
- 4Pa. Defense Firm Sued by Client Over Ex-Eagles Player's $43.5M Med Mal Win
- 5Losses Mount at Morris Manning, but Departing Ex-Chair Stays Bullish About His Old Firm's Future
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
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
