US law firm Steptoe & Johnson has gone to court to demand a former associate be forced to arbitrate after she sued for sex discrimination. The firm claimed that former associate Ji-In Houck had signed two contracts agreeing to arbitration of any disputes she might have with the law firm. The firm also argued that the agreements forbid Ms Houck from pursuing her claim as a class action.

Lower pay

Ms Houck’s proposed class action claims she was paid nearly half of what associates with the same amount of work experience were paid. She joined the firm as a contract lawyer and  was later promoted to associate. However, she says her pay was always substantially lower than that of male associates with comparable experience, even though she always received positive performance reviews. 

Gender equality

Steptoe & Johnson argued that because she started out as a contract lawyer, her career path was different to other lawyers and that the firm was committed to gender equality.