10-04-2017
Another large law firm has been accused of gender bias. Constance Ramos has flied a lawsuit against Winston & Strawn, claiming that she was pushed out of the firm based on her gender.
Ms. Ramos and two of her male colleagues laterally joined Winston & Strawn’s Intellectual Property group as partners together. Her salary at the time of joining was $450,000 plus bonus. She has contended that she did not receive bonuses even though she met the established criteria and billed a large number of hours. Her two male colleagues participated in a lateral partner integration program but she was rebuffed when she tried to join.
Both of Ms. Ramos’ male colleagues left the firm in 2015. Thereafter, Ms. Ramos was asked to leave following the conclusion of a trial that she was working on. When she refused to leave, her salary was reduced $300,000. The next year it was cut down to $200,000 and she was barred from working on big cases within her expertise. In the complaint she stated that she had “expected to be evaluated on her own merits, assessed on [her] own accomplishments, and treated as an individual, not as an appendage of a male superior.” Ms. Ramos has asserted that she was paid less than her male counterparts, had higher performance requirements and was denied bonuses.