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.
Coaching
I wish when I went to college, career counselors and alumnae told me more about office politics, people getting territorial at the workplace, and how competitive people can get.
The review is always the first thing. People are scared to talk to you and be honest with you. For example, I teach legal writing and one of my students was a clerk at a large law firm. Right before she left to study for the bar she got a really bad review.
