Link List: Ferrero Rocher and Employment Discrimination

The pretty backdrop at the Sezane store downtown.

That intense period at work I mentioned has come to a close, at least for now, which I'm quite pleased about. K and I had both been busy at the office, so we haven't even had a chance to go see the new Avengers yet. We're big fans of both Star Wars and Marvel, and usually see just about every movie shortly after opening night. Hopefully we'll be able to see it soon!

1. // This Racked article regarding a lawsuit between the now-shuttered OCC Cosmetics brand and Sephora was an interesting look at what appears to be standard business practice when it comes to selling cosmetics. It wasn't something I'd ever thought about before, so the article was an interesting read. I had no idea that most brands are expected to pay for their own "fixtures", the shelving for their brand's products in each store. I'm a little less surprised that someone has to cover the cost of "gratis", or gifted items for sales associates so that they can promote the product, but I might have assumed that the retailer covered that. 

2. // Does anyone else's family have a thing for buying boxes of Ferrero Rocher as host gifts or keeping it at home as special treats for house guests? It's kind of thing for some Taiwanese Americans, both as something we bring abroad to extended family and something that's frequently brought around as a host gift to other households. (From my time living in Hong Kong before law school, they seemed to like Ferrero Rocher the same way there too.) I had no idea this was something that was seen in other communities! 

3. // This is probably one of the first times in recent memory where an associate (in this case three Jane Doe associates in a putative class action) sued their biglaw firm for employment discrimination. There have been a few cases with partners as plaintiffs, and many other cases are brought by staff attorneys or contract attorneys, who aren't on the ultra-standardized, ultra-transparent associate payscale that prevails in most biglaw offices in "major markets." Read the complaint here, if you're curious.  

4. // I'm was glad to see that Engineer L is back! I'm always happy to see blogs I enjoy come back from a hiatus, if the person feels like it's right for them. (Like Adina a few months back.) For those who have ever thought about switching from an iPhone to a Google Pixel, Michelle's more recent outfit photos may be a compelling case for the quality of the Google Pixel's camera.

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5. // As you might have seen from my Instagram stories, I ended up picking up those Soludos llama slip-on sneakers in pink. They always get sold out fast, but I think they can still be pre-ordered at Revolve. That pretty, light, and floaty, but actually still kind of warm cashmere/silk-blend scarf I bought at Nordstrom last year is on sale in a few more colors, though sadly, I don't like any of these colors as much as the ones last time. I think my favorite is the pale blush-peach "pink tropics", but the full price "pink silver" shade is better. That particular Nordstrom scarf was definitely a better choice than the tissue-weight wool-cashmere one (also on sale, but again in odd colors) which is only about equally warm in my experience, but less pretty.

Are employment discrimination lawsuits... common in your industry? I'd always gotten the sense that few biglaw associates would ever dare bring one. It'd quickly go public on Above the Law, (past cases generally didn't proceed with anonymous plaintiffs) and few people would want that kind of notoriety. It always felt to me like a very "you'll never work in this town again" situation. Plus, in my limited experience, most attorneys "know better" when it comes to saying things that could be obvious and direct evidence for an employment discrimination claim, so I'm a bit shocked by some of what is alleged in the Morrison and Foerster lawsuit. I'm not surprised that there is discrimination, I'm just surprised that some people seemed to have been pretty open about it.