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Vote on Desiree Davidson's Story
Were they afraid we were planning a coup d'etat?
I spent my first summer during Columbia Law School at a firm in Philadelphia described as one of the best places in the city for black lawyers. I believed that if there was any place where I would have an equal chance at opportunities, be treated fairly and succeed, this would be it. There were three black female summer associates out of sixty that year but any time all three of us were in an office talking, one of the partners would knock on the door to see how we were doing. It happened too often to be a coincidence that sometimes we would purposely agree to meet in so-and-so's office to test our theory that we were being monitored. Like clock work, ten minutes after we would get together a partner would stop by.
My boss' plan was to divide and conquer his subordinates.
The partner has a reputation for hiring strictly women. He controlled the staff through a conquer and divide approach. He would create divisions between attorneys and paralegals. He would have the attorneys over to his house and he would ask, "What's going on with the paralegals?" Then he would take the paralegals out to lunch and ask, "What's wrong with the attorneys?"