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September 12, 2016
VIA HAND-DELIVERY
David W. Sanford, Esq.Sanford & Heisler, LLP1666 Connecticut Avenue, NWSuite 300Washington, DC
Re: Kerrie Campbell, On Behalf of Herself and Others Similarly Situated v.Chadbourne & Parke LLP - 16-cv-06832 (S.D.N.Y.)
Dear Mr. Sanford:
As female partners of Chadbourne & Parke LLP we write in reference to the lawsuit you filed forKerrie Campbell and, with great publicity, purportedly on behalf of each of us. Your complaint,which references 26 current and former female partners, obviously is intended to reference everyfemale partner currently working at Chadbourne, most of whom have been at Chadbourne foryears if not decades longer than Ms. Campbell. Your complaint claims that it must speak for usbecause we are too afraid to speak for ourselves. That is not how we see ourselves and certainlynot how any of us believes our clients and colleagues perceive us.
It is somewhat ironic that your firm advertises on its website that it “level[s] the playing field sothat your voice is heard,” when you have only listened to the voice of one current female partner– your client – in filing the complaint. By attributing Ms. Campbell’s allegations to a proposedclass, you have represented to the outside world that you consider us a part of that class. Yourfirm filed a class action on behalf of 26 women – each of whom you must have identified prior tofiling the purported class action given the precise count of 26, and yet your firm made no effortto speak to any of us before filing the lawsuit. You did not make our voices heard, as you claim,but rather have attempted to silence us for your own purposes.
To proceed in this manner, given your obvious awareness of the identity of the women allegedlyrepresented by the purported class action, is no less patronizing and patriarchal than what youaccuse our male colleagues of having done. The complaint you crafted makes a group of veryaccomplished, assertive and intelligent professional women look like they are victims unable tohold their own with their male colleagues. Obviously, you have taken this approach in order toinflate the damages claim to $100 million so as to attract attention from the press in hopes thatthe negative publicity will force a large settlement. Your intentional and calculated use ofwomen – with whom your firm has neither met nor spoken – for your gain is unfair to each of us.We reject your characterizations of us as well as your claim to represent a class that purportedlyincludes us. We insist that you withdraw the “class action” allegations suggesting that any of theundersigned partners are part of Ms. Campbell’s proposed class.
chadbourne
Very truly yours,
Marissa Leigh,A46a1a1).C. Office Hiring Partner16 years at Chadbourne
Michelle GeorgeLondon Office11 years at Chadbourne
191- ASIA(we Alt
tzy z fiL ()flick
.nth at Chadbourne
Lauren D. KellyNew York Offic
years at Cha
-...••••••••••••,..
Clara KrivoyNew York Office
Jo I gfordD.C. Office Managing PartnerHead of Insurance/Reinsurance Practice Group21 years at Chadbourne
Agnieszka KlichLondon Office7.5 years at Chadbourne
Beth KramerNew York OfficeCo-head of the Fund Formation and InvestmentManagement Group2 years 11 months at Chadbourne,
Head of Ibero-America Private Clients Practice17 years at Chadbourne
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