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I would recommend becoming a plaintiffs attorney or working for a state agency that enforces the relevant anti-discrimination statutes.
I have done employment at the state (CA), plaintiffs side and now as defense counsel. All
three have their own pros/cons when it comes to professional fulfillment and a sense of justice.
If you are not philosophically aligned with your side then you are going to continue to feel the way you do regardless of comp./perks, etc. That’s why I would recommend considering a switch.
Agreed.
Yes — I work at a union-side firm, and some of that work includes defending unions when they get sued for discrimination, and it is my least favorite part of my job. Some cases are not that bad, but others, the union messed up (sexual assault by a supervisor, changing qualifications for a promotion to the next level that had been in place for years when a black man was up for the job, etc.).
I believe in supporting unions as an institution (the money to pay plaintiffs who sue comes out of dues deducted from members paychecks, so mitigating exposure in the lawsuit helps the union keep representing workers and advancing justice in the workplace) and can often help make things better at the union (e.g. the supervisor who assaulted an employee was fired, the decisionmaker who failed to promote the black employee retired and his successor wanted to make things right, my firm does trainings on how to properly handle disability so they don’t mess it up and get sued).
I don’t know if I could do it at a purely employer side firm though.
There are lots of POC in defense firms and it can be jarring at times. But the same thing happens on the plaintiff’s side when you see frivolous cases that make you question why you’re doing it. It’s not always good v evil. I’ve represented businesses owned by POC who also deserve great representation and you feel good defending weak cases and extortionate claims. Many of my POC partners are harshest against plaintiffs from their same background who deserved to lose their jobs and refuse to accept reality that it wasn’t their race or ethnicity that got them fired.