A major Washington, D.C. law firm reportedly fired one of its most experienced female attorneys this summer after she defended the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
In a column this week at the Wall Street Journal, lawyer Robin Keller said the firm Hogan Lovells accused her of racism and harassment simply for sharing her views during a women’s “safe space” conference.
“If this could happen to me, anyone who expresses a disfavored opinion—even on a matter of law—can expect the same treatment: immediate cancellation without concern for client interests, due process or fairness,” Keller wrote.
She said the firm organized a conference call for its female employees in early July in response to the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision. Everyone on the call spoke out against the ruling, so Keller said she decided to offer a different perspective.
“I noted that many jurists and commentators believed Roe had been wrongly decided,” Keller continued. “… I referred to numerous reports of disproportionately high rates of abortion in the black community, which some have called a form of genocide. I said I thought this was tragic.”
Immediately, she said other women on the call began to verbally attack her, accusing her of racism and harassment and demanding that she stop talking. Later that day, Keller said the law firm suspended her, and, a few weeks later, fired her for allegedly violating the company anti-harassment policy.
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Keller said the firm “blackballed” her after “an unblemished 44-year career,” and she believes it may do the same to others who dare to speak their opinions.
“What was shocking, at least to me, was how eagerly Hogan Lovells kowtowed to a woke faction inside its workforce,” she said. “Several women on the call—as well as male lawyers at the firm—contacted me later to offer private support for my right to express my views. Those former colleagues must now realize that they are in a hostile work environment.”
According to Hot Air, someone complained about Keller to the website Above The Law, which published a column celebrating the “welcome consequences” of expressing pro-life views and accusing her of “traumatizing” other lawyers.
In a statement to the Original Jurisdiction blog, a Hogan Lovells spokesperson insisted that the firm supports its employees sharing their personal views.
“As a firm we fully encourage our people to share their views on important issues that matter to them, but we expect our people to conduct themselves in accordance with firm policies. We value our differences, which make us stronger as a firm,” the spokesperson said.
This week, another female lawyer at a major law firm shared a similar story with the Original Jurisdiction blog. The woman’s name and that of her firm were kept private because she is in the process of leaving.
Here’s more from the blog:
After Keller’s op-ed was published, I heard from a Biglaw equity partner who’s in the process of parting ways with her firm after she refused to embrace the post-Dobbs order. …
Here’s what happened, according to this partner. After she declined to take on pro-bono work of a pro-choice bent or to get involved in other reproductive-rights initiatives post-Dobbs—saying she was too busy, not mentioning any opposition to abortion or to Dobbs—her office managing partner asked her, “Am I correct in assuming you’re pro-life?” After she didn’t deny this (because she actually is pro-life), he called her racist (because of the disproportionate impact of Dobbs on minority communities), let her know she was not going to be working with his clients, and started undermining her in various ways, large and small.
The woman said she basically is being forced out of the firm.
A growing number of pro-life Americans are reporting being fired from their jobs for sharing their views opposing the killing of unborn babies in abortions. This week, Florida Politics reported about a former hospital chaplain in Florida who is suing Orlando Health after he says he was fired for describing abortion as “immoral” in a personal Facebook post.
Pro-life doctors also have been suspended in England and South Africa for their pro-life beliefs.
