Ex-McDermott partner says law firm reneged on US pay increase

Nov 30 (Reuters) – A former lawyer at U.S. law firm McDermott Will & Emery said in a new lawsuit that the firm excluded him from a major salary increase for U.S. partners at the firm despite his designation in tax and hiring documents as a Chicago-based attorney.
David Huberman, now a corporate shareholder at Greenberg Traurig based in Chicago and Tel Aviv, Israel, said in the Wednesday complaint in Illinois’ Cook County Circuit Court that he was excluded from the 2022 pay increase to $425,000 for income partners because he was living in Israel.
Income or non-equity law firm partners are partly or fully salaried workers, unlike equity partners whose compensation comes primarily from their ownership stake in a firm.
Huberman, who advises Israeli companies on U.S. initial public offerings and other matters, said in the lawsuit that even though he was based in Israel, McDermott required him to be licensed to practice in Illinois as a condition of his hire in April 2021. He said his W2 U.S. tax form listed McDermott’s Chicago office as his employer’s address.
When McDermott announced Huberman’s hire in September 2021, it said he was based out of the firm’s home office of Chicago. The firm has about two dozen offices in the United States, Europe and Asia but none in the Middle East.
A spokesperson for McDermott did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit claims McDermott violated the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act by refusing to pay him the difference between his initial base salary of $300,000 and $425,000 over the course of 10 months, which adds up to over $100,000.
Huberman did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did his lawyers at the Chicago-based Garfinkel Group.
Huberman joined Greenberg Traurig as a shareholder in November 2022. His profile on the firm’s website said he is based out of both Tel Aviv and Chicago.
The case is David Huberman v. McDermott Will & Emery, Cook County Circuit Court, 2023L011997.
Reporting by David Thomas
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David Thomas reports on the business of law, including law firm strategy, hiring, mergers and litigation. He is based out of Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @DaveThomas5150.