#MeToo Challenges in the Legal Profession
An interview with Paulette Brown
In the current climate of #MeToo, prominent cases of sexual harassment and misconduct are bringing new light to bad behavior across American industries, and the legal profession is no exception. According to recent reports, lawyers are in one of the professions with the highest reported levels of sexual harassment. In this moment of reflection and scrutiny, we sit down with an employment law expert to take a hard look at our own industry and learn more about some of the misconduct that is often swept under the rug. Former ABA president Paulette Brown explains some of the strategies deployed and the challenges faced in preventing sexual harassment.
About Paulette Brown
“We are naturally inclined to move towards people who we think are like us..... We need to start moving towards things that are not necessarily comfortable for us.”
Paulette Brown is a senior partner and the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at Locke Lord LLP. She is a member of the labor and employment practice group. She is a past president of the American Bar Association (ABA). Previously, she served as in-house counsel to several Fortune 500 companies and served as a Municipal Court Judge. In conjunction with her legal practice, Brown provides diversity and inclusion/implicit bias training courses for companies. Brown has consistently been recognized by the New Jersey Law Journal as one of the most prominent women and minority lawyers in the state. The National Law Journal has named her as one of “The 50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America.” US News has repeatedly named her one of the “Best Lawyers in America” for Commercial Litigation. Brown has also received DRI’s “Pioneer Diversity Award” and the New Jersey State Bar Association’s “Excellence in Diversity Award.”
