More on the EEOC action against Sidley & Austin

Of the Sidley & Austin EEOC business, IPBiz had reported:

Though partners have traditionally been considered employers exempt from anti-discrimination laws, the EEOC is claiming Sidley's highly centralized management rendered partners employees.

Carolyn Elephant recently wrote:

To me, it's awfully sad that lawyers with 30 to 40 years of experience are reduced to characterizing themselves as employees. And for firms, the outcome isn't much better -- because if the demoted partners prevail, firms will be limited in the action that they can take to eliminate lawyers who aren't bringing in enough business and are draining the firm and making it difficult for younger (and impatient) associates to ascend to the top.

IPBiz notes that if the "partners" are taking forced demotions to "counsel" by a decision of centralized management, then the "partners" are not really partners in a partnership.