8/26/2023 0 Comments He calls me sweetie![]() Ngage in conduct that the lawyer knows or reasonably should know is harassment or discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or socioeconomic status in conduct related to the practice of law. ![]() Under this model rule, it’s now professional misconduct for a lawyer to: In support of these amendments, women reported incidents where they were patted on the head, scolded for acting in a manner “unbecoming a woman,” and addressed as “honey” and “darling.” NAWL’s efforts were a success and on August 8, 2016, the ABA voted to amend Rule 8.4(g) of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. There, the National Association of Women Lawyers ( NAWL) put pressure on the American Bar Association ( ABA) to amend its Model Rules of Professional Conduct to prohibit sexist conduct in the profession. The prevalence of benevolent sexism in law recently prompted political action in the United States. When a male lawyer calls a female lawyer “honey,” he’s suggesting to whoever’s listening that he’s familiar with her, that he’s humouring her, and that she doesn’t really belong. It uncomfortably personalizes an exchange. It plays on the trope that women need babying or protecting. ![]() Calling a female lawyer “dear” or “sweetie” infantilizes her. They’re a kind of benevolent sexism-masquerading as compliments but in fact reinforcing destructive stereotypes about women. I’ve been told this kind of language is benign, a fuddy-duddy relic of the days when lawyers called their assistants “girls.” But some lawyers still say “their girl” will make a photocopy, and pet names aren’t harmless. Then, as a lawyer, she tries to do her job while being called “sweetie.” That same student is later told a rape joke over cocktails at a networking event. A law student wanders the hallways of the Ontario Court of Appeal and makes her peace with its many, massive portraits of old, white men. On the way to a firm event, a female lawyer learns that a man she admires, who rose to the utmost prominence in her profession, was the type of person who “couldn’t be left alone with his secretary.” A first-year associate considers whether putting “feminist” in her firm profile is worth the risk of professional alienation and decides that it’s not. At a bar, a female lawyer sits quietly while her colleagues deride another female lawyer for glancing at her nails during a trial and, in the same conversation, delight in the rumour of a male lawyer who checks game scores in court. A female law student is privy to the observation that women shouldn’t become judges until after they’ve given birth and are “hormonally balanced.” A female lawyer attends lunch meetings at Toronto clubs that only recently started accepting female members, and at Toronto clubs that still don’t accept female members. A female candidate is told that this firm or that practice group is “really looking to hire a man” this year. Here are some other redacted work stories I’ve collected over the years.
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