The managing partner of a large Midwestern law firm, Lewis, sought our advice after a young associate complained of sexual harassment by one of their most prominent, successful, and politically connected partners. Because the young woman had a reputation of being “emotionally volatile,” as well as “a bit seductive,” the other partners and associates refused to believe her claims. In addition, the firm was proud of its record of hiring and promoting women so they were loathe to admit that there might be any problems.
Lewis brought us in and allowed interviews of all the women associates, despite intense criticism from his partners who insisted that he was over-reacting and stirring up a stew of problems. His partners felt so strongly about the issue that Lewis faced a near mutiny. In true eagle style, Lewis held seemingly endless meetings with his partners and us, explaining to them why we needed to do a thorough investigation, despite their belief that the associate’s claims were incredible and that the accused partner couldn’t possibly have acted the way she claimed. He listened patiently to all his partners who stomped into his office, taking apart their lawyerly argument one by one.
After talking to the other women, three of them revealed that they also had been sexually harassed by the same man, claims that never would have seen the light of day if Lewis had not been willing to listen to one brave and unpopular woman. Because he tolerated the one “canary in the mine,” he averted an entire negative chain of events — including lawsuits. Lewis also adopted our suggestion that we conduct meetings with all the associates to explain what we were doing and why, in order to hold down the rumors and gossip. This move also raised his partners’ hackles since they were convinced that we should try to hide the process from the associates. Based on our advice, he finally convinced them that whatever rumors the other employees were hearing were more inflammatory than the truth.
After the sexual harassment claim was resolved, we coached Lewis to lead the firm through a painful self-examination. They were forced to consider whether their own perception of themselves as a great place for women to work and thrive was consistent with reality. Once Lewis began the dialogue with our help, the floodgates opened and the women partners and associates detailed other, more subtle problems of unequal treatment. We held a series of workshops on gender issues for all employees where their underlying beliefs and prejudices could be explored. Although sometimes painful and contentious, the process ultimately resulted in a better working relationship for all employees. None of this could have occurred for the firm without our prodding and Lewis’ willingness to embrace the conflict and see the ultimate value in working through the process.
