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Law Firms

Firm failed to honor exit package after retaliating for bias complaint, former BigLaw partner alleges

By Debra Cassens Weiss

April 29, 2025, 10:53 am CDT

A former salaried partner at Womble Bond Dickinson has filed a lawsuit alleging that the law firm cut her pay by half and offered her an exit package—which it didn’t honor—after she complained about a hostile work environment.

The April 25 suit filed by Wilka Toppins alleges race and gender discrimination, retaliation, misrepresentation and breach of contract.

Law360 has a story on the suit, filed in Harris County, Texas.

Toppins, who is Hispanic, said she accomplished “a great deal of origination and a large book of business” after she began work at the firm’s Houston office in November 2021, despite receiving inadequate support.

For a majority of her time at the firm, Toppins “had no associate help and no secretarial help,” the suit said. She was also subjected to a “very hostile work environment” by firm members and support staff in her corporate and securities practice group, according to the suit.

“The disparity in treatment included not providing sufficient support, attempting to take away plaintiff’s immigration clients and business, speaking to plaintiff in a derogatory and condescending manner, and failing to fulfill basic promises to her,” the suit said.

Toppins was the only Hispanic female in the entire firm at the time of her hiring, according to the suit.

After Toppins complained, the firm said it would investigate. Eventually, Toppins was told that the firm found that she was subjected to a hostile work environment, but it was not because she was a member of a protected class.

A pattern of retaliation followed, the suit said. Toppins’ pay was cut from $350,000 to $175,000, and she was told that if she did not like the new salary, the firm would be happy to “transition her off,” according to the suit.

After Toppins sought restoration of her pay, Womble Bond Dickinson offered her an exit package consisting of a 10% referral agreement, a contract position for immigration work and a severance agreement. Relying on the agreement, Toppins resigned in January 2024.

The firm then failed to honor the agreement under the exit package, the suit said.

A spokesperson for Womble Bond Dickinson did not immediately respond to the ABA Journal’s request for comment made in an email and a voicemail.

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3. Former Thompson Hine partner won’t have…

Law Firms

Former Thompson Hine partner won’t have to arbitrate surviving sex bias claims, federal judge rules

By Debra Cassens Weiss

April 7, 2025, 9:28 am CDT

A federal judge in New York City has refused to dismiss several claims against Thompson Hine in a lawsuit brought by a fired income partner, who alleged that the law firm’s New York office was run “like a toxic boys club locker room.”

In a March 31 opinion, U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter Jr. on the Southern District of New York allowed lawyer Rebecca Brazzano’s claims for a hostile work environment, sexual harassment, sex discrimination, retaliation, and aiding and abetting violations of anti-discrimination laws. Some of the claims were brought under New York state law and New York City law, and some were brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

The tossed claims included defamation, abuse of process, retaliation based on a response to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and negligent infliction of emotional distress. As a result of the dismissals, Ohio partner Thomas Feher, accused of involvement in the EEOC response, is no longer a defendant.

Law360 and Law.com covered the decision.

Carter said the firm could not compel arbitration because the firm’s arbitration clause was invalidated under the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021. The law applied because Brazzano was fired in April 2022, a month after the law took effect.

The suit had alleged that partner Richard De Palma perpetuated an “old boys’ network” and “horded” incoming work or sent it to male equity partners. He was the New York litigation vice chair at the time of the alleged events; he is now the chair of international arbitration, according to Law.com.

A Thompson Hine spokesperson commented in an email to Law.com.

“We are gratified that the court has agreed with us and taken the first step of dismissing many of Ms. Brazzano’s claims on their face,” the statement said. “We will continue the process of demonstrating, through evidence, that there is no basis for the remainder of Ms. Brazzano’s outlandish allegations, in whichever forum the courts ultimately determine is appropriate.”

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3. Former Duane Morris partner arrested on outstanding…

Criminal Justice

Former Duane Morris partner arrested on outstanding warrant related to Michigan assault case

By Debra Cassens Weiss

March 10, 2025, 3:16 pm CDT

Updated: A former Duane Morris partner was arrested on an outstanding Michigan warrant at his condo in Chicago’s South Loop on Friday, the same building where his wife’s body was found in a stairwell in October 2024.

Adam Beckerink, 46, was ordered extradited to Michigan at a court hearing Monday, the Chicago Tribune reports.

The warrant was based on charges of domestic abuse and assaulting police officers arising from incidents at the home in Berrien County, Michigan, where Beckerink’s wife, 36-year-old Caitlin Tracey, lived before her death, WGN-TV reports.

Initial media reports said the warrant was issued after Beckerink did not show up for a pretrial hearing in the Michigan case in October 2024. He also missed his trial that was set to happen days later, the reports said.

But Chicago police said the warrant was for alleged violation of pretrial conditions in the Michigan case, without providing further information, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Beckerink has not been charged in Tracey’s death. But in the extradition hearing Monday, Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Danny Hanichak referred to Beckerink as a suspect, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Beckerink’s lawyer, Jonathan Brayman, said Monday and at a court hearing Saturday the warrant was not valid, according to the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times.

Brayman said Monday that his client had attended all his hearings and had not violated any conditions of pretrial release, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Beckerink “is the absolute opposite of a fugitive from justice,” Brayman said on Monday, pointing out that Beckerink was arrested at home.

Beckerink was ousted from Duane Morris after the law firm became aware of domestic violence allegations against him made in court proceedings, including allegations made by his wife when she obtained an order of protection against Beckerink in 2023.

See also:

Duane Morris partner ousted after wife found dead in stairwell and her parents allege domestic violence

Judge denies bid by former Duane Morris partner to stop his wife’s funeral

Updated March 11 at 8:02 a.m. to add lawyer Jonathan Brayman’s assertion that former Duane Morris partner Adam Beckerink had attended all court hearings in Michigan.

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3. Former law firm partner censured over sex…

Ethics

Former law firm partner censured over sex with associate and legal assistant, stay-quiet offers

By Debra Cassens Weiss

February 26, 2025, 8:55 am CST

A former partner at a Boise, Idaho, law firm has been publicly censured after he allegedly tried to entice an associate and a legal assistant to keep quiet about an incident in which he had sexual relations with them at the office.

The Idaho Supreme Court publicly censured Boise lawyer W. Dustin Charters in a Feb. 6 order, the Idaho Statesman recently reported.

The enticements involved money and a lightened workload, according to the public censure.

Charters was a mentor for the associate and supervised her work. She had joined the firm in August 2023, the month before the sexual incident, according to the censure order. The associate was 26 years old, and Charters was 37 years old, according to allegations cited by the Idaho Statesman.

Afterward, the order said, Charters offered compensation to both women if they did not report his conduct. He also offered to complete work for the associate that she could bill as her time and suggested that she falsely bill his completed work on a case as client development, according to the order.

Both women turned down the offers, and the associate did not falsely bill her time. They reported Charters’ conduct to the firm Sept. 26, 2023, three days after the incident, according to the allegations. Charters was fired two days later.

A stipulation in the case said Charters had no previous discipline and had acknowledged his misconduct, according to the Idaho Statesman. The stipulation also said he had received counseling and agreed to perform 100 hours of community service.

Charters did not immediately respond to the ABA Journal’s request for comment made in an email and a voicemail.

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A mother in Hawaii is behind bars, along with her girlfriend, for allegedly starving and beating her 3-year-old daughter to death using belts, paddles, sticks and slippers to pound on the toddler — while also limiting her water intake to 8 ounces a day — along with her three of her siblings, ages 2 through 6, who managed to survive the “disturbing” abuse, according to police.

“First responders found Sarai malnourished and pulseless, with ashen skin and bruises to her legs, hips, arms, face, back and head,” explained Honolulu Police Department Lt. Deena Thoemmes at a press conference last Thursday after announcing the arrests of Janae Perez and Ashley Utley for the death of Perez’s daughter, Sarai Perez-Rivera, in June 2024, according to Hawaii News Now.

“Through the investigation, it was learned that Janae and Ashley limited Sarai and her siblings intake of water and food,” Thoemmes said. “Janae and Ashley did not allow them to eat often and only allowed them to drink 8 ounces of water a day.”

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3. Former BigLaw partner, fen-phen lawyer among…

Criminal Justice

Former BigLaw partner, fen-phen lawyer among those granted commutations by Biden

By Debra Cassens Weiss

January 8, 2025, 8:50 am CST

A former Jenkens & Gilchrist partner and an ex-diet-drug lawyer are among nearly 1,500 people granted commutations by President Joe Biden in December.

All those granted commutations had been placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic and had “successfully reintegrated into their families and communities,” according to a White House press release.

Law.com has the story on the former Jenkens & Gilchrist partner, Paul Daugerdas, while the Louisville Courier Journal has a report on the ex-diet-drug lawyer, William Gallion.

Daugerdas, who headed the Chicago office of Jenkens & Gilchrist, was convicted in a fraudulent $8 billion tax shelter scheme that led to the 2007 dissolution of his law firm. He was sentenced in June 2014 to 15 years in prison for the scheme in which legal opinion letters backed the phony tax shelters.

Daugerdas was ordered to forfeit $165 million and pay $371 million in restitution, penalties upheld by a federal appeals court in 2022.

Gallion and another lawyer were convicted in April 2009 for cheating clients out of $94.6 million in settlement funds in litigation over the diet drug fen-phen, which was removed from the market after it was linked to heart problems. Gallion was sentenced to 25 years in prison, according to the Louisville Courier Journal.

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3. Duane Morris partner ousted after wife found…

Criminal Justice

Duane Morris partner ousted after wife found dead in stairwell and her parents allege domestic violence

By Debra Cassens Weiss

November 12, 2024, 9:42 am CST

Updated: A judge in Cook County, Illinois, has granted a temporary restraining order that prevents a now-ousted partner at Duane Morris from retrieving the remains of his wife after her body was found in a stairwell in his South Loop residential building last month.

The lawyer, Adam P. Beckerink, was blocked from receiving the remains in a Nov. 7 TRO sought by the parents of Beckerink’s deceased wife, 36-year-old Caitlin Tracey, report CWBChicago, the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times.

The parents alleged that Beckerink, a tax lawyer, had physically abused his wife, the articles report. The parents filed a separate action in Berrien County, Michigan, where Tracey had lived, that seeks authority to access her remains from the Cook County medical examiner and make funeral arrangements. A Michigan judge granted the request Tuesday.

Tracey’s body was found in a stairwell of Beckerink’s building in Chicago’s South Loop on Oct. 27. Her foot had been severed.

Beckerink was “swiftly removed” as a partner at Duane Morris, and he is no longer associated with the law firm, a firm spokesperson told the ABA Journal in a statement. Duane Morris was not previously aware of the domestic violence allegations, the statement said.

Two domestic violence charges are pending against Beckerink in Berrien County, according to the Chicago Tribune. He is also facing felony charges of resisting and obstructing arrest. He has not been charged with crimes related to his wife’s death.

Tracey had obtained an order of protection against Beckerink in Cook County in October 2023, but it was dismissed the following month after Tracey moved to vacate it, according to CWBChicago and the Chicago Tribune. In an affidavit supporting her bid for a protection order, Tracey said she filed two police reports for domestic battery against Beckerink in August and September 2023, the articles report.

The affidavit alleged that Beckerink physically abused her at a Ritz-Carlton hotel, at Beckerink’s South Loop residential building and at her Michigan home, according to CWBChicago and the Chicago Tribune. In one instance, she alleged, Beckerink struck her in the head with a pickle jar and poured vodka on her body, burning her wounds. In another, she alleged that Beckerink strangled her and slammed her head against a cabinet.

Tracey’s parents, Monica and Andrew Tracey, are represented by lawyer Andrew J. Cunniff of Galarnyk & Associates in the Cook County case and by Mowitt “Mitt” S. Drew III of Butzel Long in Michigan.

A lawyer for Beckerink, Todd Pugh, told the Chicago Tribune that there is no link between Beckerink and Tracey’s death.

“Caitlin was the love of Adam’s life, they’ve been married since April, her family has not had any contact with her in the several months since she married Adam,” Pugh said. “He wanted to include them in honoring her memory and wanted to do this at the funeral home that her family selected, but based on the filing that we just received, that wasn’t sufficient.”

Here is the full statement from Duane Morris to the Journal: “This is a shocking and tragic case, and we send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Caitlin Tracey. Our firm was not aware of the domestic violence and other allegations against Adam Beckerink asserted in various legal proceedings until recent media accounts of her death. Once we confirmed key facts, the partners board swiftly removed Adam as a partner of Duane Morris LLP. He is no longer associated with our firm.

“This is a tragedy for all involved. Our deepest condolences go to Caitlin Tracey’s family. Counseling will be available for Chicago office employees this week.

“Out of respect for the legal process, it is not appropriate for the firm to speculate about the ongoing investigation, other than to say we hope justice will be served, and we stand ready to assist if we can be helpful to investigators.”

In a statement after the Michigan judge ruled for Tracey’s parents Tuesday, Drew said he and his clients are “incredibly grateful” for the expedited decision.

“The ruling allows Caitlin’s family not only to honor her life with the final services she deserves but also to grieve appropriately, supporting them in their journey through this difficult time,” Drew said.

Updated Nov. 12 at 11:35 a.m. to include information on the Michigan judge’s ruling and a statement by the parents’ attorney.

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Partners

Judge denies bid by former Duane Morris partner to stop his wife’s funeral

By Debra Cassens Weiss

November 21, 2024, 10:51 am CST

A Chicago judge on Wednesday denied a former Duane Morris partner’s emergency motion to stop his deceased wife’s parents from holding her funeral, so that he can obtain her remains.

Judge Eve M. Reilly of Cook County, Illinois, denied lawyer Adam P. Beckerink’s request to preserve the remains of his wife, 36-year-old Caitlin Tracey, pending appeal.

Tracey was found dead at the bottom of a stairwell in Beckerink’s South Loop residential building on Oct. 27. Her foot had been severed.

The Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times and Fox 32 Chicago have coverage of Reilly’s Nov. 20 order.

Beckerink was ousted as a partner at Duane Morris after Tracey’s parents sought her remains in court filings alleging that he had physically abused their daughter. A judge in Berrien County, Michigan, granted the parents’ request Nov. 12, saying he had jurisdiction because Tracey was a resident of New Buffalo, Michigan, at the time of her death.

The parents then sought to enforce the judgment in Cook County because the Medical Examiner’s office had the remains.

Two domestic violence charges are pending against Beckerink in Berrien County, Michigan, according to past coverage by the Chicago Tribune. He has not been charged with any crime related to his wife’s death.

The couple had been married six months when Tracey died. A lawyer for Beckerink, Todd Pugh, has previously said Tracey “was the love of Adam’s life.”

In an affidavit supporting a bid for an order of protection that was granted in October 2023, Tracey said Beckerink physically abused her at a Ritz-Carlton hotel, at Beckerink’s South Loop residential building and at her Michigan home.

In one instance, she alleged, Beckerink struck her in the head with a pickle jar and poured vodka on her body, burning her wounds. The protection order was dismissed in November 2023 when Tracey moved to vacate it.

Another lawyer for Beckerink, Telly Stefaneas, told Reilly in a hearing Wednesday that his client planned to appeal the Michigan decision awarding the remains to Tracey’s parents, Andrew and Monica Tracey, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Reilly noted in her order Wednesday that it has been three weeks since Tracey’s death, and the medical examiner’s office has indicated that it could not keep her body beyond 30 days.

“Caitlin is a human being who died under horrible circumstances,” Reilly wrote. “If it is possible for Caitlin’s body to be stored elsewhere for the duration of an appeal, that has not even been filed, no one has informed the court of that fact. Certainly, it does not seem just or equitable to do so.”

A lawyer for Andrew and Monica Tracey, Andrew Cunniff, said in a statement Tracey’s family is grateful for Reilly’s decision.

“We cannot imagine why the defendant would want to keep Caitlin away from her family—even now,” Cunniff said. “No one should have to bury their child, much less fight a legal battle to do it. Thankfully, the right side prevailed, and Caitlin will remain with her family where she belongs.”

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Lawyer Pay

Average BigLaw partner compensation increased 26% in 2 years, reaching this high-water mark

By Debra Cassens Weiss

October 29, 2024, 10:35 am CDT

Average compensation for partners in larger law firms is $1.4 million, a record high that represents a 26% increase since 2022, according to a new survey by legal recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa.

The percentage increase, the largest in the history of the biennial survey, is mostly due to a 26% increase in average partner originations, according to the 2024 Partner Compensation Survey, available here. A 36% increase in billing rates also contributed to the increase.

Billable hours, however, are only 2% higher than the average reported in 2014, four years after the survey began. The current average is 1,721 hours.

The 2024 Partner Compensation Survey is based on 1,718 responses from U.S. partners at the top 200 firms based on gross revenue. The survey, administered in the summer, sought compensation information for 2023.

The $1.4 million compensation figure is for equity and nonequity partners. Equity partners had average earnings of $1.9 million, while average earnings were $558,000 for nonequity partners. Average compensation for equity partners increased 32% since the 2022 survey, while the average for nonequity partners increased 21%.

The upward trend is expected to continue, according to an Oct. 24 press release.

Median compensation for all partners was a considerably lower $800,000, an indication that compensation at the highest levels is growing at a higher rate.

The survey also showed a compensation gap between male and female partners and between white and ethnically diverse partners.

Male partners earned an average of $1.6 million. compared to an average of $1.2 million for females. White partners earned an average of $1.4 million, compared to an average of $1.35 million for ethnically diverse partners. The gap varies based on ethnicity.

Law.com covered the survey (here and here) and spoke with report co-author Louis Ramos, a Major Lindsey managing director.

“It’s definitely a good time to be a law firm partner,” he said.

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3. Kirkland partner can’t present argument or…

Trials & Litigation

Kirkland partner can’t present argument or evidence because he ‘crossed the lines’ of court orders, judge says

By Debra Cassens Weiss

October 31, 2024, 8:45 am CDT

A Missouri judge has sanctioned a Kirkland & Ellis partner after finding the lawyer “acted in bad faith on several occasions” and tried to inflame the jury during a civil trial targeting the makers of baby formula.

As a sanction, Kirkland partner James F. Hurst can’t argue about or object to evidence, and he can’t question witnesses, said Judge Michael Noble of the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri in an Oct. 24 order.

Law.com and Bloomberg Law have coverage.

Noble said it appeared that Hurst was trying to elicit a mistrial when he “either attempted to violate or overtly crossed the lines of the court’s orders related to evidence and arguments before the jury.” In one recent direct examination, Noble said, Hurst “specifically admitted on the record to eliciting testimony and introducing evidence to intentionally inflame and prejudice the jury” in a manner banned by the court.

Hurst is defending Abbott Laboratories in a lawsuit filed by plaintiff Elizabeth Whitfield, who alleges that her baby developed an intestinal illness called necrotizing enterocolitis and suffered brain damage from drinking formula made by Abbott Laboratories. A second formula company, Mead Johnson, and the St. Louis Children’s Hospital are also defendants.

Whitfield’s lawyer, Tim Cronin, has argued that the makers of the formula didn’t disclose the full risk that their product poses for premature babies, according to past coverage by Reuters. Hurst has argued that the formula doesn’t cause necrotizing enterocolitis but that a mother’s breast milk protects against the illness.

Nearly a thousand cases similar to Whitfield’s suit are pending, according to Reuters. One case resulted in a $495 million verdict against Abbott Laboratories. In another, Mead Johnson was found liable for $60 million.

Bloomberg Law described Hurst as “a star litigator,” while Law.com said he is regularly featured in the Litigation Daily’s Litigators of the Week column.

A Kirkland spokesperson told Law.com and Bloomberg Law that Hurst is “a world-class trial lawyer” who “has successfully led cases for 30 years in jurisdictions around the country with supreme professionalism. His impeccable trial record speaks for itself.”

An Abbott Laboratories spokesperson told Law.com and Bloomberg Law that Hurst “is a terrific trial lawyer and has acted professionally, ethically and in good faith throughout the case.”