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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.
Career Limiting Move
My internal client told someone he didn't think he could work with me after what I did. What did I do? I challenged him in front of 600 people. And I got an award for it the next day. But as my friends would say, challenging him was a career-limiting move. After that, however, I wasn't being asked to give my legal advice. He didn't come to me anymore. I don't know if he was going to someone else or just winging it.