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Testing Accommodations are not a Gift of Extra Time
By Katherine Macfarlane • January 10, 2019 •Writers in Residence, Law School, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination
Late last year, a University of Michigan Law student sent an email about testing accommodations to a public listserv. The subject: “People using ‘extra’ time.” In the email’s body, the student wrote: “I see you messing up the curve for me thanks.” Michigan Law’s Assistant Dean for Student Life issued a compassionate response affirming the law school’s commitment to diversity and its disabled students. Above the Law condemned the student’s complaints in a late-December column. Still, the idea that testing accommodations are a gift which might unfairly ruin another student’s grades persists. I want to debunk this myth. Accommodations are…
Interview with Jacques Anderson, Counsel at The Players’ Tribune - On the Field: Women in Sports Law
By Tatum Wheeler • December 31, 2018 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination, Women and Law in the Media
I’m excited to introduce Jacques Anderson, Legal Counsel at The Players’ Tribune. A graduate of Harvard Law and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne, Jacques Anderson worked as a Mergers and Acquisition Associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates prior to joining The Players’ Tribune in 2018. Welcome, Jacques! Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today. I was hoping you could share with me your path to The Players’ Tribune. Did you have an interest in sports during your undergraduate and law school education? Jacques: At a high-level, entering the…
Surviving Inaccessible Work Retreats
By Katherine Macfarlane • December 16, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination
"I just want to lie on the beach and eat hot dogs. That’s all I ever wanted." ‘Beach Games,’ The Office Networking occurs outside of the office as much as it does inside office walls. It’s much easier to ingratiate yourself to a superior over a round of golf or in front of a toasty campfire. A campfire? Yes, a campfire. I’m talking about the dreaded work retreat. From the mind-numbing icebreakers to that one person who won't stop volunteering to share, work retreats are agonizing. Still, they're a rite of passage. And it's fun to see how people interpret…
Interview with Sports Law Professor and Author Maureen Weston - On the Field: Women in Sports Law
By Tatum Wheeler • November 19, 2018 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Legal Academia, Other Career Issues, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination, Women and Law in the Media
I’m pleased to introduce Pepperdine University School of Law Professor Maureen Weston, J.D. Professor Weston is the Director of the Entertainment, Media & Sports Law Program and Dispute Resolution Project, in addition to her service on countless boards including the Sports Lawyers Association, American Association of Law Schools Law & Sport, and the Editorial Board of LawInSport. A graduate of the University of Colorado Law and the University of Denver, Professor Weston previously worked as an attorney. Her research interests include sports law, dispute resolution, ethics, and the intersection of these areas. We are pleased to welcome you, Professor Weston.…
How to Deal with Microaggressions as a Female Attorney
By Claire Parsons • October 15, 2018 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination
“Are you the court reporter?” After 3 years of law school, 2 bar exams, and a little over 1 year of practice, that was the question I received upon arriving at a deposition I was set to defend. It also happens to be the same question many other female attorneys get at depositions. The question in my case was, I believe, an honest mistake. Yet, the frequency with which it and questions like it are asked suggests to me that it is not just a mistake. Indeed, I have also been asked whether I “work for” an attorney, I am…
Pushed & Pulled: The Kavanaugh Effect
By Katherine Macfarlane • September 30, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Legal Academia, Politics and Government, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination
It was not an easy week, last week. I don’t have it in me to tell you how my disability affected my work, because though it certainly did, as it always does, I was pulled in multiple directions by something else. I was both teacher and witness, professor and person. It was not an easy week to be all of those things. It was not easy to decide what to do on the day of the hearings. Should I cancel class, encouraging my students to watch history unfold, a history that speaks to their future as members of the legal…
When School Districts Undermine Title IX - On the Field: Women in Sports Law
By Tatum Wheeler • September 28, 2018 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination, Women and Law in the Media, Other Issues
In my hometown’s backyard, some girls were momentarily robbed of their opportunity to pursue sports. With a budget deficit looming overhead, the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) cut ten high school sports programs, affecting roughly 500 students. The sports include bowling, girls’ badminton, girls’ lacrosse, golf, boys’ volleyball, swimming, and wrestling. Such cuts affected nearly twice as many girls as boys. Following the announcement, lawyers such as Elizabeth Kristen, Director of the Legal Aid At Work’s Gender Equity & LGBT Rights Program, have been working on Title IX cases against OUSD. There has also been an outpouring…
Owning Up to My Reality: I’m Disabled, and I Always Will Be
By Katherine Macfarlane • August 27, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination, Features, Myths & Truths
I struggle with calling myself disabled. It’s much easier to write “I’m disabled” than it is to say it out loud. I use an endless list of euphemisms instead. “I need to sit down.” “I need extra time to board.” “I’m just not feeling up to it.” "It's going to be hard for me to make that walk." I’m not sure I’ve ever said the words “I’m disabled.” I’ve had countless conversations about my need for reasonable accommodations, and my volatile health, but generally avoid claiming my status. Which is ridiculous. I've spoken at legislative hearings about the tremendous impact…
Five Small Ways You Can Combat the Motherhood Penalty
By Amanda Norris Ames • August 20, 2018 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Other Career Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Mentoring and Networking, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination
The ABA recently released research from its inquiry into why women leave the law. The study revealed issues all too familiar to many practicing female attorneys--discrimination, salary dissatisfaction, caregiving responsibilities that are incompatible with the pace of practice. And while the ABA’s efforts are ongoing, I was surprised to see a lack of focus on what numerous other studies have dubbed the “motherhood penalty”--or the earnings (and corresponding promotion) gap between mothers and non-parents in the workplace. Research shows a significant decline in a woman's earnings after the birth of her first child, with that disparity continuing throughout her career.…