Decision on law firm delayed

Officials from the University's Career Planning and Placement Service said yesterday they will need at least four weeks to determine whether Baker & McKenzie, the world's largest law firm, is in compliance with the University's non-discrimination policy. The Law School postponed a recruiting visit from the firm this week in response to a string of harassment and discrimination accusations pending against Baker & McKenzie. The University's non-discrimination policy states that firms recruiting on campus may not discriminate against prospective employees or current employees because of race, sexual orientation or gender. A CPPS committee met yesterday with students to discuss the issue. According to acting Director of CPPS Jo-Ann Verrier, who is also a non-voting member of the committee, Baker & McKenzie has been given two weeks to supply the University with "more information about their current policy and practices, and how [they have] been implemented." "The committee is charged with seeing whether the firm's current practices and procedures are in compliance with our policy," she said last night. "Our goal is to make both our students and our employers happy, and at the same time recognize the value of the University's non-discrimination policy." After two weeks, Verrier said, the committee will examine the materials supplied by the law firm and make its decision by mid-October. The outcry against the law firm recruiting on campus stems from two lawsuits filed by former employees of Baker & McKenzie against the firm. One lawsuit, currently on appeal, was filed by Geoffrey Bowers who claimed the firm dismissed him after learning he had AIDS in 1986. In 1993, the New York State Division of Human Rights ruled that the firm did discriminate against Bowers, and awarded his estate $500,000. Bowers died in 1987. Baker & McKenzie are currently appealing the division's ruling. In addition, a San Francisco jury awarded Baker & McKenzie secretary Rena Weeks $7.1 million this month after finding that the firm failed to stop a partner from harassing her. This two decisions prompted members of the University's Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Law Students' Association to protest the firm's recruiting on campus. Law student and LGBLSA representative Rose Weber, who co-wrote a letter to the CPPS committee asking for support, said last night the committee is "moving in the right direction." "They had a variety of options open to them and I think this is a positive one," she said. "It confirms that they are taking this seriously." Weber said, however, that she hopes the committee will not be deterred by students who claim they have had no problems with the law firm in the past. "Obviously, in a firm that large, given that they have about 1,700 attorneys, not all are going to be mistreated," she said. "For every woman that is sexually harassed at Baker & McKenzie, I'm sure [the committee] could bring in 20 that weren't -- But that's not really the point, is it?" Verrier said CPPS has already placed a sanction on the law firm, in the form of an attachment to the firm's files which details the two lawsuits against it. These files are available to all students, she said. The next step for the committee now is to simply wait for the materials to be submitted by the law firm, Verrier added. Staff writer Tammy Polonsky contributed to this article.

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