Is Clifford Chance a Sexist Law Firm?

Sex in university lawfuel

women-in-law-lawfuelSexist memos and behaviour is nothing new to law firms, but Clifford Chance has now got itself into hot water over a memo advising their US female employees not to giggle or to show cleavage when making presentations.  Good advice, maybe.  Or maybe not.
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Certainly the memo –  “Presentation Tips for Women,” has been blasted by employees and media after it was first published.  There was plenty of good advice relating to either sex, but it was the female-targeted material that drew the ire of so many of the women everywhere – and plenty of men, too.

“[F]emale associates are very upset by not only the elementary nature of the tips themselves, but the suggestion that these would only apply to women,” an anonymous e-mail recipient tells Above the Law.

“We have never been a very female friendly firm, but this is beyond the pale.

While many of the 150 tips seem reasonable when applied to both genders — “make sure your cellphone is turned off” or “define all acronyms” — a number of them are being called out as condescending.

Some of the offending tips include:

  • “Your friends will still like you afterwards, even if you adopt a formal tone.”
  • “No one heard Hillary the day she showed cleavage.”
  • “Don’t giggle, don’t squirm, don’t tilt your head.”
  • “Pretend you’re in moot court, not the high school cafeteria”
  • “Don’t dress like a mortician.”
  • “If wearing a skirt, make sure people can’t see up it”
  • “Practice hard words.”
  • “Think Lauren Bacall, not Marilyn Monroe.”
  • “Wear a suit, not your party outfit.”
  • “Make sure you can stand in your heels.”

The memo was circulated by a senior female partner of the company’s women’s committee after she had been invited to share her personal presentation tips at a meeting.
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Shortly after the memo made international headlines, Clifford Chance released the following statement defending it.

The original presentation and associated tips represented a personal perspective, shared with a group of colleagues, some just starting out in their careers. The more than 150 points are based on what this individual has found helpful as a public speaker in a broad range of business environments. While much of what is covered is common sense, we believe that it is important that women as well as men are given access to a range of different viewpoints and approaches; there is no Clifford Chance template on how people should present. The offense caused by a small percentage of the suggestions in the tip sheet was entirely unintentional.

Clifford Chance is one of the largest law firms in the world with around 6,000 employees in 35 officesacross the globe. Last year, the firm reeled in a whopping $1.9 billion in revenue.

What are your thoughts on the offending memo? Are any of the tips useful, or are they just over-the-top and unnecessary? Tell us in the comments below.


Personal Bankruptcy: What Happens To My Business Assets And Income?

bankruptcy-petition-lawfuelLawFuel.com – Law Firm News Daily – If you are a business owner considering filing for personal bankruptcy, you may be unsure if or how your business income and assets will be affected. This will depend on the type of ownership your business has established and the type of bankruptcy you file under. While the following is not inclusive of all you’ll need to know, it should give you a good indication of what to expect should you decide to file.

 Are you the sole proprietor?

As a sole proprietor, your personal and business assets are seen as part of one entity.  This means that if you file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection, your personal and business assets are equally at risk to be liquidated, which could threaten to shut down your business altogether. In order to keep your business assets, you must claim them as exempt. In New York, the assets you are able to exempt will depend on whether you chose the state’s exemptions or the federal exemptions.  There is no mixing and matching of the state and federal exemptions. Whichever you chose, those are the exemptions available to you.  Just as a few examples, under the New York exemptions, some of the property you can protect includes “tools” necessary to your business up to $3,000. The Wildcard exemption allows you to protect another $1,000 worth of property.

Just as sole proprietor’s business assets are viewed no differently than their personal assets, the same is true for income. All income earned through the business and otherwise must be reported to the bankruptcy court.  The bankruptcy trustee generally requires bank statements and other means of supporting documentation.

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If you file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy as a sole proprietor, you will be able to keep all of your assets, as debts are repaid through monthly payments. However, you will still need to consider exemptions.  This is because the value of all non-exempt assets must be paid to unsecured creditors.  You may not be able to fully exempt every asset you own, but even a partial exemption can significantly lower your payments.

Do you have a partnership?

A partnership is affected similarly to that of a sole proprietorship. All income and assets must be reported. However, in the case of a partnership, when a Chapter 7 bankruptcy is filed, no assets are exempt, which means the business will likely go under, unless your partner is able to replace the assets.  With that in mind, if the business is expected to continue and you are able, it is recommended that you file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

If you file personal bankruptcy and are a shareholder in a corporation, the corporation’s earnings and assets will be unaffected as the corporation is considered a separate legal entity. On the other hand, if you personally guaranteed any debts for the corporation, those will need to be reported. By the same token, your shares in the corporation are considered personal assets and must also be reported. This means that your shares can be taken over by the bankruptcy trustee and potentially sold off to repay your personal debt.

Although the owner of a corporation doesn’t have to file the corporation or include its assets in a personal bankruptcy proceeding, the corporation’s assets are usually looked at by the trustee. This is especially true where they have large value and the corporation is in the process of closing. While the corporation’s assets first need to pay the corporation’s creditors, where there are items left over from a closing the assets are used by the trustee to pay personal debt.

Written by Ronald D. Weiss, an attorney who specializes in bankruptcy solutions, foreclosure solutions, and modification and negotiation solutions for individuals and businesses.

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