Let's get to know a woman named Theresa. Theresa came from a regular middle class family from the Midwest. Theresa's parents both worked and she was the oldest of three kids. She was the first to go to college and earn a Bachelors Degree. She applied and got into a great law school where she and her fellow female classmates made up only 1/3 of the graduating class. She was recruited by a prestigious law firm and stood out among her peers which were 75% male. She worked hard and earned a shot on a big lawsuit case despite being paid less than her male counterparts.
Now, with all that in mind, let’s look at a conversation between Theresa and a paralegal named Erin. Erin has been working on a case for 18 months and her boss has asked Theresa's firm to take the case to the next level.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZMg4vFcRQs
Erin: Hey… those are my files…
Theresa: Yeah, we had them couriered over. And listen, good work. They’re a great start. We’re just going to have to spend a little time filling in the holes in your research.
Erin: Excuse me, Theresa, was it? There are no holes in my research.
Theresa: No offense. There are just some things we need that you probably didn’t know to ask.
Erin: Don’t talk to me like I’m an idiot, okay? I may not have a law degree, but I’ve spent 18 months on this case, and I know more about those plaintiffs than you ever will.
Theresa: Erin. You don’t even have phone numbers for some of them.
Erin: Whose number do you need?
Theresa: Everyone’s. This is a lawsuit. We need to be able to contact the plaintiffs.
Erin: I said, whose number do you need?
Theresa: You don’t know six hundreds plaintiffs’ numbers by heart.
--Erin raises an eyebrow.
Theresa: Annabelle Daniels.
Erin: Annabelle Daniels. 714-454-9346 ten years old, 11 in May. Lived on the plume since birth. Wanted to be a synchronized swimmer, so she spent every minute she could in the PG&E pool. She had a tumor in her brain stem detected last November, had an operation on Thanksgiving, shrunk it with radiation after that. Her parents are Rita and Ted. Ted’s got Chron’s disease, and Rita has chronic headaches and nausea and underwent a hysterectomy last fall. Ted grew up in Hinkley. His brother Robbie and his wife May and their five kids, Robbie, Jr., Martha, Ed, Rose, and Peter lived on the plume too. Their number’s 454-9445. You want their diseases?
--Erin stops and glares at Theresa. Theresa looks back mouth agape.
Theresa: Okay, look… I think we got off on the wrong foot here…
Erin: That’s all you got, lady. Two wrong feet. In fucking ugly shoes.
Remember this scene? Yes, it is from Erin Brockovich. Does that interaction seem a bit different now? To me, it does. Yes, Theresa did bring into question Erin’s research and memory, but who was being attacked here? I admit, I resented Theresa when I first saw the movie. I cheared when Erin put her in her place. "How dare she treat Erin with such disrespect, she doesn't even know her..." I thought.
But celebrating in Erin’s retort, we fail to see how we treated Theresa. Theresa was treated with the same disregard as Erin was throughout the film. What if Erin gave Theresa the same amount of respect that she herself expected? What if Erin looked at the situation as if it were an opportunity to collaborate with a seasoned, pedigreed, professional who also happens to be a woman? It could have been a great learning experience and good bridges could have been built for the future.
Alas, that is not what happened. We reveled in Erin’s take down and pigeonholed Theresa as one of those stuffy lawyer elitist deserving of a verbal lashing. My attitude changed from sympathizing with Erin, to wondering, “What if Theresa was… me?”
Note, I made up Theresa's back story but the facts remain. Females make up less than 1/3 of the profession. Our nation's highest court, the Supreme Court, has 9 Justices of which there are only 3 women. Women make up just 21% of those who serve as counsel to Fortune 500 Companies. Women lawyers earn an average 15% less than their male counterparts. Imagine if we stuck together and built bridges.
Note, I made up Theresa's back story but the facts remain. Females make up less than 1/3 of the profession. Our nation's highest court, the Supreme Court, has 9 Justices of which there are only 3 women. Women make up just 21% of those who serve as counsel to Fortune 500 Companies. Women lawyers earn an average 15% less than their male counterparts. Imagine if we stuck together and built bridges.
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