Wilson Sonsini Hit With Disability Discrimination Suit by Ex-Assistant

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati was hit with a wrongful termination and discrimination lawsuit in California state court by a former legal assistant who claims the firm failed to accommodate her disabilities and then retaliated against her for raising concerns about the firm’s practices.

The lawsuit is the latest discrimination claim against an Am Law 200 firm this year, as bias cases against Big Law firms continue at a steady clip in 2024.

According to the California suit, plaintiff Michele Rene Brantley joined Wilson Sonsini as a full-time corporate law support assistant to at least 15 attorneys and paralegals in August 2018. She was paid on an hourly basis. Brantley left the firm in April 2023, after being fired, which she alleges was because of her disability.

The lawsuit was filed Oct. 28 in Santa Clara Superior Court. It also names as defendants three current Wilson Sonsini leaders, including managing partner Douglas Clark, chief human resources and administration officer Julie Beley and corporate legal support manager Renee Whitaker Unti. The plaintiff is requesting more than $35,000 in damages.

A Wilson Sonsini representative didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment on the suit.

Brantley is represented by Glendale-based lawyers Eric and Alex Gilanians, who also didn’t return a message seeking comment.

Inside the Allegations

Brantley requested damages for 15 counts, such as for wrongful termination, disability discrimination, and failure to engage in an interactive process to accommodate her disabilities.

Before joining Wilson Sonsini in 2018, Brantley said she had notified the firm of her disabilities. (The suit mentions that Brantley had carpal tunnel but doesn’t specify other disabilities.)

According to Brantley, she was denied an annual bonus and received a marginal yearly pay raise in January 2023 following two operations for her disability. She also requested an early 401(k) withdrawal to help pay for medical bills but was met with friction from the firm’s financial manager.

Brantley requested an ergonomic evaluation two weeks into her tenure at Wilson Sonsini with the goal of gaining appropriate desk equipment but claimed the firm failed to provide it.

“Michele was informed by defendant’s human resources department that WSGR would not provide her with the required equipment. Therefore, Michele was forced to work with equipment that exacerbated her disabilities,” the lawsuit says.

Further, the firm “would not take affirmative steps to address Michele’s protected activities and would instead retaliate against her and ultimately wrongfully terminate her employment,” the lawsuit alleged.

Brantley’s suit noted she joined Wilson Sonsini with the aim of becoming an attorney there after attending law school subsidized by the firm. Instead, she was reportedly told by Unti she “would never be able to do those jobs,” and routinely “dismissed and denied several opportunities for growth and additional training to advance her career,” instead promoting “less experienced” workers to paralegals instead.

Brantley opted out of her arbitration agreement with the firm in June 2019, because she “was fearful for her employment and did not want to limit her rights to protect and advocate for herself,” the lawsuit noted.