Almost a year ago, we wrote about Julie Kamps’s suit against Fried Frank, in which she charged the firm with discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, including on the basis of sex and sexual orientation. Kamps was a class of ‘98 litigation associate (Harvard) who was passed over for partnership.
After she complained about the unfair treatment, she and the firm went to mediation.
During which she was fired.
After the jump, developments in the story, including what she’s been up to in the interim.
Kamps was previously going through the EEOC process, but has now been issued her right-to-sue letter. AmLaw Daily got a copy of the complaint she’s planning to file, and it’s apparently quite the bombshell.
Is (being denied) partnership at a top NYC law firm worth $50 million? Kamps thinks so, as that’s what she’s reportedly seeking in damages.
In her original press release, Kamps had a crusader-tone:
According to the complaint, the firm has subjected Kamps to a long course of adverse action, including firing her during the January 12, 2009 mediation session aimed at settling the matter. “I have been mistreated by Fried, Frank and hope to shine a light on the differences between the firm’s official policies and what the partners actually do,” said Kamps.
This time, she’s getting more specific about the harassment she suffered:
In the complaint, to be filed this week, Kamps claims that Janice Mac Avoy, a litigation partner, “knowingly made unwelcome sexual advances and sexual comments to Kamps, both alone and in the presence of others.” Mac Avoy allegedly “told Kamps it was ‘the biggest regret of her life’ that she had not slept with Kamps ‘when she had the chance,’” and discussed various sexual acts with Kamps, the complaint states. Kamps also alleges that Mac Avoy encouraged her to “wear women’s clothes,” because William McGuinness, chair of the firm’s litigation department, believed Kamps’s preference for men’s shirts could “make clients uncomfortable.”
The complaint names both Mac Avoy and McGuinness as defendants. It also names David Hennes, a litigation partner who, Kamps alleges, asked her to write a negative review of an attorney that the firm was “trying to get rid of,” the complaint says. Kamps refused to write the review; she claims Hennes began harassing her as a result of her refusal. She claims Hennes laughed at her after assigning an underperforming associate to one of her matters, and she alleges Hennes indicated he was “watching” Kamps by “pointing to his eyes and then at Kamps.”
Apparently, now that she’s unemployed she’s handling the case pro se. She was originally represented by Rae Downes Koshetz. In the original matter, Fried Frank was represented by Betsy Plevan (Wellesley BA ‘67, BU JD ‘70) of Proskauer, about whom you can read more in this NY Times profile from a few years ago.
Kamps is now resident in California, according to her website (which has no current content) she lives there with her wife, Michelle. She did a brief stint as General Counsel of something called Loyd Capital Management between June and October, 2009, according to her resume, which is currently not available on her website.
We’ve learned one lesson from this affair. We had originally relied on the Internet Archive for a copy of Kamps’s firm profile, but it’s no longer available there. From now on, we’ll take screenshots, so see below for shots of the archived version of Julie Kamps’s resume (which you should be able to click to embiggen).
EDUCATIONHarvard Law SchoolJ.D., cum laude, 1998Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, Staff, 1995-96; Best Appellee Brief, First-Year Ames Moot Court Competition (awarded to twelve briefs in a class-wide competition); HLS Lambda, Treasurer, 1996-97 University of Pittsburgh Honors CollegeB. Phil. in Philosophy and History, summa cum laude, 1995Phi Beta Kappa; Class Valedictorian; 4.0 cumulative GPA; University Scholar; Golden Key National Honor Society; National Endowment for the Humanities Younger Scholar Award (supported nine weeks of full-time research and writing); Won various university-sponsored writing contests; Studied part-time while working before finishing two years full-time Smith College Economics, 1988-91 Class Treasurer; Judicial Board; Lesbian Bisexual Alliance Treasurer and Co-Chair LEGAL EXPERIENCELoyd Capital Management LP June 2009 – October 2009
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP October 1998 – January 2009
PREVIOUS LEGAL EXPERIENCESummer Associate, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart LLP (Pittsburgh, 1996) Summer Associate, Day, Berry & Howard (Boston, 1997) Intern, Cambridge and Somerville Legal Services (1996-1997, immigration clinic) PUBLICATIONSI. David & J. Kamps, Securities Regulation & Litigation: Dusting Off the Common Law, N.Y.L.J., 12/18/06 A. Strauss & J. Kamps, Corporate Crime: ‘Tellabs’ Pleading Standard And SEC Enforcement Actions, N.Y.L.J., 3/6/08 I. David & J. Kamps, Gone Unnoticed: Does Notice Provision of the Class Action Fairness Act Apply to Securities Cases?, N.Y.L.J., 4/7/08 D. Morris, L. Herzeca & J. Kamps, Designated Directors and Designating Investors: Early Planning is Key, The Corporate Governance Advisor, May 2008 G. Weiner & J. Kamps, PSLRA Meets the Exchange Act, N.Y.L.J., 8/25/08
BAR ADMISSIONS AND MEMBERSHIPSAdmitted to practice in New York, United States Courts of Appeals for the Second and Third Circuits, United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York Member, American Bar Association; Member, Federal Bar Council PERSONALEnjoy gardening and working out; Self-financed education REFERENCESAvailable Upon Request
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I wish I could go into more detail, but there are other currently active discrimination cases by former female employees (who are not gay) against Fried Frank, which describe numerous incidents including biased negative performance reviews that, taken together, form the basis for allegations of patterns of harassment and discrimination relevant to the Kamps lawsuit, In addition, during the past decade two former secretaries sued Fried Frank for employment discrimination. As a result, Fried Frank was forced to end its harassment of an older secretary, thus permitting her to continue working until she retired voluntarily; and settled with a former black secretary, Bobbie Fisher, who, according to the Amsterdam News, had been fired without cause. From my own professional experience with Julie Kamps during the years she was at Fried Frank, I have no reason whatsoever to doubt her honesty and integrity.
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As a former lesbian Fried Frank lawyer, I do not doubt Ms Kamps' allegations. I have witnessed this sort of thing at several law firms over my career. I laud Kamps' courage. The partners' behaviour , however is not unique, and is somewhat endemic among law firms. I hope Kamps' action will encourage others to stand up and cause large law firm lawyers to change their behaviour.
Hey tell it like it is…. I would like to know more about these FF cases… I worked there and had loads of problems too. WHo is handling those?