TALK TO A LAWYER BEFORE YOU QUIT!! Many people believe that quitting their jobs voluntarily is better than being fired, but that’s not how it works in the law. If you are experiencing harassment and/or discrimination, it is possible you could lose your legal claim if you quit. It is much more difficult to bring a lawsuit if you quit your job. Having said that, if you are in physical danger, quit, call 911, do whatever you have to do to be safe. No one has the right to touch you without your permission. If you are not in physical danger, talk with a lawyer before you quit. The Moral of Natalia and Jayna – Talk With An Attorney Early I’m going to tell you two stories, both of which are a combi

When people come to me, they often have very specific ideas about what it means to hire an attorney and the services an attorney can provide to them. Often, they got these ideas from TV or from a cousin who works in Silicon Valley (no joke). Usually, they’re not wrong in the sense that often the service they’re looking for does exist, at least conceptually. For example, Mary came to me wanting to file a lawsuit against Joan, who was bullying her at work. She knew what Joan was doing was targeting her individually and that it was inappropriate behavior for Joan to engage in at work. Joan was making Mary’s life hell. Mary walked in proposing that we sue Joan individually and Mary’s employer fo

Picture this scenario: You make a beautiful PB&J, and you lovingly wrap it in some kind of environmentally friendly wrap. You place it in the shared refrigerator at work. Your mouth is watering as you approach the fridge at lunch. You open the fridge door, and your sandwich is gone. The first time this happens, you are bummed, but you don’t freak out. Those environmentally friendly wraps were expensive, but you have some at home. The fifth time this happens, you need to do something about it. You go to HR, and you tell them what’s going on. You tell them how day after day, you bring your PB&J to work, and every day it disappears. You know it’s Melanie who’s taking them because you saw a pean

Barbra Streisand was interviewed recently and said that she had never been sexually harassed. Does that seem true? I was recently at a dinner with women lawyers and one female legal assistant in her 60s, whom I’ll call Joann, who probably would have gone to law school if gender expectations were different at the height of her career. All of the women lawyers were talking about harassment we have experienced and the way sexism has played out in our cases and careers. Joann told us that she had never experienced sexism or harassment. She said she was just lucky, she guessed. The thing was that I had, myself, seen Joann experience discrimination and even harassment. But, she didn’t register it

No. Seriously? I mean, I like Tony Robbins. I like how he’s literally a giant and goes all in on shocking people out of their stuckness. But did you see what he said about his buddies telling him they’re not hiring attractive women anymore? According to Robbins, “more than a dozen” men in positions of power told him they were hesitant to hire “attractive” women because of #MeToo. Robbins argued that women are using #MeToo to gain significance and attack and destroy other people, and now men are protecting themselves by not hiring attractive women. Oh boy. He later issued a public apology and acknowledged that he has a lot to learn about the issue. So, that’s good. There is so much incorrect