Hot Attorney's Website in Hot Water

SOURCE: LAW.COM
A Web site featuring "hot" young female associates at several prominent law firms quickly pulled the plug Monday after some of the women on the site discovered that their photos and profiles were posted.

The Web site, Hot Attorney, included photos and biographical information of young women associates at law firms such as K&L Gates, DLA Piper, Cozen O'Connor, Latham & Watkins and others. Marketed as a kind of "hottie hall of fame," the Web site gathered information from the law firms' Web sites and posted it in several categories, including the "HotAtty Supreme Court."

Following attention the site received from the law gossip blog Above The Law Monday and from at least one reporter inquiring about its content, HotAttorney.com closed the site.

"On our own initiative, we decided to take the site down earlier today," said an unidentified source responding to an e-mail requesting an interview.

The person writing the e-mail did not respond to a request to reveal his or her identity. The Web site did not include the name of a contact.

Some of the women who were featured on the site were unaware that their photos and profiles were posted and were angry when they found out.

"It's demeaning and sexist," said Abby L. Sacunas, an associate at Cozen O'Connor who said Monday that she did not know that she was included on Hot Attorney until contacted by a reporter from The National Law Journal. "I think we should sue them."

Sacunas, an associate in Cozen O'Connor's Philadelphia office, was further dismayed to learn that when she searched her name on Google, her Hot Attorney listing was the first item that popped up.

"I intend on taking this to human resources," she said.

Erin Foster, an associate in Andrews Kurth's Houston office, said she knew "for awhile" that she was included on the Web site. She has requested "at least three times" to have her name and biographical information deleted from the Web site, but it had remained until Monday afternoon when the site shut down.

At least one of the women included on Hot Attorney was not upset about being included, although she was surprised to find out that her information appeared on the site.

"I have no reason to take it down," said Denise Gitsham, an associate in K&L Gates's Washington office. She previously was a contestant on "The Bachelor," a reality TV show. "I'm glad there's a lighter side to the law."


For more information on the law firm of Cozen O'Connor