Suing for
A Former McCarthy Tétrault lawyer is suing the firm over sex discrimination. Diane LaCalamita speaks exclusively with Canadian Lawyer about the case.
Diana LaCalamita (front) with her legal team (l to r)Mary Eberts, Hendrik Nieuwland, and Malcolm MacKillop.
BY ELIZABETH RAYMER I 38 OC T OBER 2008 www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com
t's an irony that an law firm hailed as "the most thoughtful and pro- gressive" on the issue of advancing and retaining its female lawyers has been hit with a sex-discrimination lawsuit. Yet in April, Diane La- Calamita, a onetime lawyer with McCarthy Tétrault LLP in Toronto, launched a lawsuit against the firm, claiming it "artificially restricted
and isolated" her practice and failed on its commitment to advance her to equity partnership, instead dismissing her after three years of employment with the firm "without reason or explanation." McCarthys denies the allegations of sex discrimination, claiming LaCa-
lamita could not be promoted or ultimately accommodated in the firm be- cause her performance was substandard.
PHOTO: JOHN HYRNIUK
