The firm becomes the latest to drop the requirement after increasing pressure
Kirkland & Ellis has dropped requiring junior lawyers to agree to mandatory arbitration of employment disputes.
The firm announced the change last week to its associates and summer associates, reported Bloomberg Law.
“The firm committee periodically reviews firm policies to ensure that they reflect best practices in the legal marketplace,” the firm reportedly said. “Following a recent review, the firm committee has determined that the firm will no longer require arbitration of any employment disputes that may be brought by associates or summer associates.”
The change came after a Harvard Law School student group called the Pipeline Parity Project urged students to boycott the major US firm until it stopped requiring associates and summer associates to agree to mandatory arbitration for workplace disputes. Kirkland & Ellis is said to be the largest recruiter at the law school.
Earlier this year, a study was sent to 374 major US firm asking whether they include mandatory arbitration clauses in their employment contracts. Kirkland was one of the 188 firms that did not respond.
A social media campaign was launched in March to slam mandatory arbitration agreements. Firms including Munger Tolles & Olson and Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe discontinued the practice as a result of the campaign.
