A former associate at the law firm of Dechert LLP has filed suit against the law firm, claiming it lied to woo him to join the firm in 2002, then fired him in part because he is an Orthodox Jew.
Marc Lubin maintains that for the most part, he was assigned to perform “glorified paralegal work,” during his time at the firm, despite having been promised much more substantial assignments. He says that when he was fired in 2004, he was told by a partner that it was because of the quality of his work and because he “was different” – which Lubin understood to be a reference to that fact that he is Orthodox, which required him to eat Kosher food and caused him to skip the firm’s holiday party.
Lubin, who is currently unemployed, is seeking nearly $6 million in back pay, lost earnings and punitive damages.
(The AM Law Daily)
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4 Responses
I am also a from attorney who worked for a mid-sized firm for several years. While I was not fired, I can fully relate to the situation being alleged by Mr. Lubin in his lawsuit.
It can be extremely uncomfortable and awkward, and sometimes intolerable, to be the sole frum person in an environment where no one is even remotely on the same wave length as you. The problems include leaving early on short fridays, multiple yumim tovim, kashrus, and an inability to participate in, what is perceived to be, ‘normal’ work-related social activities.
I wish Mr. Lubin tremendous hatzlocha in his lawsuit. If he is interested, he should google the name Norman Shoenfeld. He is another frum attorney who succesfully recovered damages from his law firm after he was fired for being frum.
Hatzlacha Rabba!
Why did he bother working there in the first place? What did he think would happen when he joined a fancy law firm – that they would give shiurim at the Christmas parties?
NeveAliza
What an insensitive comment!!!
in Esres Yemei Tshuva no less!!!
While you might be able to bounce back from this type of treatment, other people cannot.
At This time of the year let us try not to judge others.
My heart goes out to Mr. Lubin and I hope he gets the entire 6 million he is seeking.
This news item should give all of us a wake up call.
Think of the following:
While an African-American can run for President of the USA (and make no mistake rabbosai–Barack H. Obama is up in the polls r”l)
Frum Yidden are being discrimiated against without any retribution. We do not use Al Sharpton tactics. We use the Courts.
Can you imagine a “white” shoe lawfirm telling a black lawyer we are letting you go because you are “different”?
I pray and hope that Mr. Lubin wins.
illini07, if they are treating him worse than other employees (and this can include giving him less desirable work than other attorneys of similar experience & education) and it can be proven that they did this because he was frum, then I think he would have a case.
leonard613, do you really believe that because Mr. Obama is running for president discrimination against African-Americans no longer exists? An Orthodox Jew ran for vice-president 8 years ago; surely you don’t think anti-Semitism disappeared.