Two former Morrison & Foerster lawyers who sued the firm claiming it discriminates against pregnant women and new mothers are seeking to block Morrison & Foerster's request for employment records at other law firms where they've worked.

Attorneys at Sanford Heisler Sharp representing plaintiffs Sherry William and Joshua Ashley Klayman have asked the federal magistrate judge overseeing their lawsuit to quash subpoenas seeking their personnel files from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Linklaters, respectively.

"Such subpoenas are commonly regarded as improper attempts to harass and deter plaintiff and interfere with her job prospects," wrote Sanford Heisler's Deborah Marcuse, in a discovery letter brief filed jointly Monday evening with Morrison & Foerster's lawyers at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. "By bringing this action, Plaintiffs have not exposed their former and current job records to carte blanche scrutiny regardless of relevance and proportionality," Marcuse wrote.