Former BigLaw partner claims that firm failed to honor the exit package after retaliating against bias complaint
Law Firms
Firm failed to honor exit package after retaliating for bias complaint, former BigLaw partner alleges
April 29, 2025, 10:53 am CDT
A former salaried partner at Womble Bond Dickinson has filed a lawsuit alleging that the law firm cut her pay by half and offered her an exit package–which it didn’t honor–after she complained about a hostile work environment. (Photo from Shutterstock)
A former salaried partner at Womble Bond Dickinson has filed a lawsuit alleging that the law firm cut her pay by half and offered her an exit package–which it didn’t honor–after she complained about a hostile work environment.
The April 25 suit filed by Wilka Toppins alleges race and gender discrimination, retaliation, misrepresentation and breach of contract.
Law360 has a story on the suit, filed in Harris County, Texas.
Toppins, who is Hispanic, said she accomplished “a great deal of origination and a large book of business” after she began work at the firm’s Houston office in November 2021, despite receiving inadequate support.
For a majority of her time at the firm, Toppins “had no associate help and no secretarial help,” the suit said. According to the lawsuit, Toppins also experienced a “very hostile” work environment from firm members and support staff within her corporate and securities group. Toppins was eventually told that the firm had found that she had been subjected a hostile working environment, but that it was not due to her being a member a protected group.
A series of retaliation was then alleged, according to the suit. Toppins resigned in January 2024, relying on the agreement. Toppins resigned based on the agreement in January 2024.
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