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Law Firm's Sexist Memo To Female Employees: No Giggling, Cleavage, Personality Wanted
By
Ben Yakas
Published Oct 25, 2013
Modified Oct 25, 2013
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Oct 25, 2013
Modified Oct 25, 2013
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A Manhattan law firm has been criticized after an internal memo directed toward female employees was leaked onto the internet. Above The Law says they received the memo, entitled “Presentation Tips for Women,” last night; it was reportedly distributed by a member of the Women’s Committee to all women associates across the U.S. offices of legal firm Clifford Chance. Among other things, female lawyers in the company—who presumably went through decades of education to get said jobs—are told to “practice hard words,” stop using the word "like," avoid giggling, "watch out for the urinal position," and not show any cleavage. Read the whole memo below.
Clifford Chance: Presentation Tips for Women
Can't imagine at all why some women might be a bit ticked off by being told how to speak, how to wear heels, what female icons to admire, and ya know, that they must "PRACTICE HARD WORDS."
One of the recipients of the email told Above The Law, "female associates are very upset by not only the elementary nature of the tips themselves, but the suggestion that these would only apply to women. We have never been a very female friendly firm, but this is beyond the pale."
The company defended the memo as mostly "common sense," and "a personal perspective, shared with a group of colleagues, some just starting out in their careers." To be fair, it is important that someone teaches young women just starting in their careers out how chauvinistic law firms can be. How else are they supposed to learn?
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Clifford Chance
law firm
lawyers
sexism
women
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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