Life Hack No. 37 (2025 Edition)>>> Bet on Yourself.

My husband took this picture of me recently because I asked him to. And he is a phenomenal partner. This is me. Sitting outside the courthouse where I last argued a motion in front of a judge in May 2023. It was a motion for summary judgment. Against me. Yes. I was representing myself. They lost, which means I won. So, I named this picture "Me...Winning."

It didn't feel like much of a victory at the time because it meant we were going to a bench trial in November 2023, which I wasn't really looking forward to given that neither side conducted any discovery.

Many of you reading this may know a little bit of what I am talking about. Perhaps you know more than I do. It doesn't matter anyway. At least not to me. But let me answer some questions I am frequently asked about it. At the end of the day, at least as far as I know or am concerned, I took a gazillion risks, made lots or mistakes, looked dumb and crazy at times. But I bet on myself and won. I HIGHLY recommend you do the same.

So here goes...

1. Why did you get terminated? I don't know.
2. Why did they sue you? I don't know.
3. Why did they sue you in state court in Florida? I have no idea because I am pretty sure the court didn't have jurisdiction over me. But I erred in my motion to dismiss and made it way too complicated because I was angry and not strategic. I think they picked Florida to make things difficult on me and to do it quietly in state court. I fixed it though because I filed my lawsuit in federal court in San Francisco. That's when the reporters started reaching out to me. I kind of expected it, but I didn't much like it. Civil litigation in the US, though. So, it is what it is.
4. What did they sue you for? After I threatened to sue them for various alleged employment law violations, including wrongful termination and retaliation, they sued me to have a court declare I was a partner even though I was just an employee with a "Partner" title who never saw or signed an operative Partnership Agreement or Arbitration Agreement. They wanted me to arbitrate my claims. They went to arbitration at JAMS. I did not participate, so I have no idea what the result was, but I never paid a penny to JAMS. Hmph? And I didn't receive any compensation after the arbitration ended.
5. What happened after the summary judgment hearing? Not much. However, more than ONE YEAR after filing their lawsuit against me, while waiting for the light to change so we all could cross the street, I overheard one of their lawyers ask the General Counsel when the Partnership Agreement that didn't exist in May 2021 was ever finalized. I'll never know the answer because I said, "Hey you guys, just so you know, I am right behind you."
6. Did you settle? Hell no. I don't/didn't need their money. My dignity is much more important to me and it is 100% still intact. We both dismissed our cases. I dismissed mine in January 2023; they dismissed theirs in September or October 2023.
7. Do you regret leaving Morgan Lewis and why did you leave? I have regretted it from the moment I resigned. I left because I incorrectly believed that I couldn't work in the office because of COVID and the other place guaranteed me an office, which they later reneged on. Wild, wild stuff.
8. Was it hard? Yes. For over 3 years it was really rough. I questioned everything about myself for no reason. But I am much better now and completely back to my old self. Watch out world.