Davis Polk being sued by former minority associates

[Anonymous User]

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business- ... each-other

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-we ... icity-ploy

No other major sources have reported this - both law.com and ATL are silent on this. I am not in a firm yet, but how hard is it to be a minority in big law setting, do you feel like you are treated differently bc of your gender/ethnicity/sexual orientation?

I don't know what happened re DPW and that ex-associate, so obvs not sure if the associate's claims are all true.

[Anonymous User]

sry, typo in the title - associate, singular

[lolwutpar]

Not surprised. Biglaw is a breeding ground for casual racism (how many times have you heard the phrase "open the kimono"?) and institutional racism (minorities don't seem to make it to senior/partner ranks).

[Anonymous User]

Not surprised. Biglaw is a breeding ground for casual racism (how many times have you heard the phrase "open the kimono"?) and institutional racism (minorities don't seem to make it to senior/partner ranks).

I don't think this is really a thing anymore. Maybe like 20 years ago.. but I've never heard someone say this. I think the only reference I've seen to this is in one of those "legal jargon" books.

[Anonymous User]

Not surprised. Biglaw is a breeding ground for casual racism (how many times have you heard the phrase "open the kimono"?) and institutional racism (minorities don't seem to make it to senior/partner ranks).

that's disheartening to hear, but not surprising

[motojir]

There is subtle racism in biglaw, along with a host of other toxic qualities. There's also reverse-racism at times. It's a profession of dog eat dog motherf-ckers trying to get a leg up on each other as they chase that partnership. That's why it's such a shitty place to work.

This lawsuit won't do anything but add to Paul Weiss's ppp.

[Monochromatic Oeuvre]

I read the title of the thread and spent 1.4 seconds trying to figure out how you could be a "former minority."

[esther0123]

Not surprised. Biglaw is a breeding ground for casual racism (how many times have you heard the phrase "open the kimono"?) and institutional racism (minorities don't seem to make it to senior/partner ranks).

That actually reminds me that a partner at V3 (a white female partner, who purports to be a champion of minorities) used the phrase “open kimono” without realizing where that phrase came from. This just goes to show how ignorant big law can be about these issues and perpetuate stereotypes even unintentionally. I do follow that case and it looks like DPW is trying to bury the poor guy. They couldn’t settle this case out of court? Surprised it lasted so long.

[Anonymous User]

Not surprised. Biglaw is a breeding ground for casual racism (how many times have you heard the phrase "open the kimono"?) and institutional racism (minorities don't seem to make it to senior/partner ranks).

I don't think this is really a thing anymore. Maybe like 20 years ago.. but I've never heard someone say this. I think the only reference I've seen to this is in one of those "legal jargon" books.

While it's no longer common, I've def heard this phrase thrown around at least a couple times a year. When I first heard it as a junior, I was really taken aback because I thought I couldn't possibly have heard what I had heard. It still exists and I'm acutely aware of its use as a PoC.

[Anonymous User]

I know a senior associate who regularly uses “open kimono” internally and with OC to mean we are not hiding anything. Also “going off the reservation” to mean we are straying from the topic we meant to discuss. This is a liberal white guy in his mid 30s at a V10.

[Anonymous User]

I know a senior associate who regularly uses “open kimono” internally and with OC to mean we are not hiding anything. Also “going off the reservation” to mean we are straying from the topic we meant to discuss. This is a liberal white guy in his mid 30s at a V10.

I am on a transaction with a client that says open kimono a lot. What is the big deal. People need to get a thicker skin, c'mon.

[nixy]

Bold hot take.

[kaiser]

I know a senior associate who regularly uses “open kimono” internally and with OC to mean we are not hiding anything. Also “going off the reservation” to mean we are straying from the topic we meant to discuss. This is a liberal white guy in his mid 30s at a V10.

Hell, I'm a liberal white guy and still accidentally say "off the reservation" sometimes since I used to not even know the phrase was problematic. Starting to catch myself now to banish that one from my vocabulary. Pretty easy to say "off the rails" instead, which essentially means the same. I've literally never heard "open kimono" before though.

[Anonymous User]

I know a senior associate who regularly uses “open kimono” internally and with OC to mean we are not hiding anything. Also “going off the reservation” to mean we are straying from the topic we meant to discuss. This is a liberal white guy in his mid 30s at a V10.

I am on a transaction with a client that says open kimono a lot. What is the big deal. People need to get a thicker skin, c'mon.

Sure, but let me humbly suggest a crazy alternative—why don't people just stop using the phrase?

[lolwutpar]

I know a senior associate who regularly uses “open kimono” internally and with OC to mean we are not hiding anything. Also “going off the reservation” to mean we are straying from the topic we meant to discuss. This is a liberal white guy in his mid 30s at a V10.

I am on a transaction with a client that says open kimono a lot. What is the big deal. People need to get a thicker skin, c'mon.

Bold take. Who cares about racist language? Just get over it lol

[cisscum]

I know a senior associate who regularly uses “open kimono” internally and with OC to mean we are not hiding anything. Also “going off the reservation” to mean we are straying from the topic we meant to discuss. This is a liberal white guy in his mid 30s at a V10.

I am on a transaction with a client that says open kimono a lot. What is the big deal. People need to get a thicker skin, c'mon.

Bold take. Who cares about racist language? Just get over it lol

I'm half japanese and don't see anything racist about it. Seems like something UMC white people care about

[lolwutpar]

I know a senior associate who regularly uses “open kimono” internally and with OC to mean we are not hiding anything. Also “going off the reservation” to mean we are straying from the topic we meant to discuss. This is a liberal white guy in his mid 30s at a V10.

I am on a transaction with a client that says open kimono a lot. What is the big deal. People need to get a thicker skin, c'mon.

Bold take. Who cares about racist language? Just get over it lol

I'm half japanese and don't see anything racist about it. Seems like something UMC white people care about

Fuck off with being an arbiter of Asian-ness.

[Anonymous User]

I read the title of the thread and spent 1.4 seconds trying to figure out how you could be a "former minority."

you and me both

[Anonymous User]

I know a senior associate who regularly uses “open kimono” internally and with OC to mean we are not hiding anything. Also “going off the reservation” to mean we are straying from the topic we meant to discuss. This is a liberal white guy in his mid 30s at a V10.

I am on a transaction with a client that says open kimono a lot. What is the big deal. People need to get a thicker skin, c'mon.

Bold take. Who cares about racist language? Just get over it lol

I'm half japanese and don't see anything racist about it. Seems like something UMC white people care about

Yea gtfo dude, you don't speak for all us PoC. Also, let me take a wild guess as to what your non-japanese half is...

[cisscum]

A

I know a senior associate who regularly uses “open kimono” internally and with OC to mean we are not hiding anything. Also “going off the reservation” to mean we are straying from the topic we meant to discuss. This is a liberal white guy in his mid 30s at a V10.

I am on a transaction with a client that says open kimono a lot. What is the big deal. People need to get a thicker skin, c'mon.

Bold take. Who cares about racist language? Just get over it lol

I'm half japanese and don't see anything racist about it. Seems like something UMC white people care about

Fuck off with being an arbiter of Asian-ness.

No u. asians trying to fit in with UMC whites are fine speaking for all of us so why can't I?

[lolwutpar]

A

I know a senior associate who regularly uses “open kimono” internally and with OC to mean we are not hiding anything. Also “going off the reservation” to mean we are straying from the topic we meant to discuss. This is a liberal white guy in his mid 30s at a V10.

I am on a transaction with a client that says open kimono a lot. What is the big deal. People need to get a thicker skin, c'mon.

Bold take. Who cares about racist language? Just get over it lol

I'm half japanese and don't see anything racist about it. Seems like something UMC white people care about

Fuck off with being an arbiter of Asian-ness.

No u. asians trying to fit in with UMC whites are fine speaking for all of us so why can't I?

I don't care if you don't find it offensive. But you can fuck right off (and go fuck yourself) for insinuating if you find it racist then you must be a UMC white.

[cisscum]

I know a senior associate who regularly uses “open kimono” internally and with OC to mean we are not hiding anything. Also “going off the reservation” to mean we are straying from the topic we meant to discuss. This is a liberal white guy in his mid 30s at a V10.

I am on a transaction with a client that says open kimono a lot. What is the big deal. People need to get a thicker skin, c'mon.

Bold take. Who cares about racist language? Just get over it lol

I'm half japanese and don't see anything racist about it. Seems like something UMC white people care about

Yea gtfo dude, you don't speak for all us PoC. Also, let me take a wild guess as to what your non-japanese half is...

Wow you sound real tolerant! I guess obama can't speak for black people then

[cisscum]

A

I know a senior associate who regularly uses “open kimono” internally and with OC to mean we are not hiding anything. Also “going off the reservation” to mean we are straying from the topic we meant to discuss. This is a liberal white guy in his mid 30s at a V10.

I am on a transaction with a client that says open kimono a lot. What is the big deal. People need to get a thicker skin, c'mon.

Bold take. Who cares about racist language? Just get over it lol

I'm half japanese and don't see anything racist about it. Seems like something UMC white people care about

Fuck off with being an arbiter of Asian-ness.

No u. asians trying to fit in with UMC whites are fine speaking for all of us so why can't I?

I don't care if you don't find it offensive. But you can fuck right off (and go fuck yourself) for insinuating if you find it racist then you must be a UMC white.

White or white adjacent (asians trying to be white). Actual asians don't care about this shit. Japan is a monoethnic state.

[Anonymous User]

I know a senior associate who regularly uses “open kimono” internally and with OC to mean we are not hiding anything. Also “going off the reservation” to mean we are straying from the topic we meant to discuss. This is a liberal white guy in his mid 30s at a V10.

I am on a transaction with a client that says open kimono a lot. What is the big deal. People need to get a thicker skin, c'mon.

Bold take. Who cares about racist language? Just get over it lol

I'm half japanese and don't see anything racist about it. Seems like something UMC white people care about

Yea gtfo dude, you don't speak for all us PoC. Also, let me take a wild guess as to what your non-japanese half is...

Wow you sound real tolerant! I guess obama can't speak for black people then

don't speak =/= can't speak. take an lsat class, my guy

[lolwutpar]

A

I am on a transaction with a client that says open kimono a lot. What is the big deal. People need to get a thicker skin, c'mon.

Bold take. Who cares about racist language? Just get over it lol

I'm half japanese and don't see anything racist about it. Seems like something UMC white people care about

Fuck off with being an arbiter of Asian-ness.

No u. asians trying to fit in with UMC whites are fine speaking for all of us so why can't I?

I don't care if you don't find it offensive. But you can fuck right off (and go fuck yourself) for insinuating if you find it racist then you must be a UMC white.

White or white adjacent (asians trying to be white). Actual asians don't care about this shit. Japan is a monoethnic state.

Asians in Asia don't care about racism in the United States or Asian-American issues? Wow, what an insight!