Sanford Heisler, The Firm Helping Female Lawyers Sue Big Law

When associate Nilab Rahyar Tolton left Jones Day in early 2018, she was still reeling from the effects of what she called implicit and explicit biases against women at the firm.

She said male partners commented on her appearance and assigned her secretarial-type work. After two pregnancies, Tolton said leadership paid lip service to the challenges of returning from maternity leave but then criticized her for not working enough, eventually suggesting she exit the firm.

“I thought I was going to try to process or find closure for myself or move on,” she said.

But several months later, she read ...