Use of Jane Doe, New Laws Boosting Bias Claims Against Law Firms

Equal pay suits against law firms will continue as plaintiffs use the “Jane Doe” alias and more laws are passed requiring the same pay for the same work, attorneys said.

Suits on behalf of women lawyers are getting more attention, said Lori Andrus of Andrus Anderson in San Francisco.

“Jane Doe status, do not take this for granted,” said Andrus, who represented 300 litigation attorneys for Farmers Insurance Group who won a $4.1 million settlement in a gender pay discrimination case.

Federal courts require plaintiffs in employment suits to demonstrate exceptional circumstances to justify remaining anonymous. But a Bloomberg Law ...