Law Firm Leaders Exposed for Years of Offensive and Prejudiced Emails

Two former partners of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, John Barber and Jeff Ranen, who recently left to start their own law firm, made racist, misogynistic, homophobic, and antisemitic comments about their clients and colleagues in internal emails dating back to 2012. The emails, which were released by Lewis Brisbois, reveal a culture of bigotry and disparagement cultivated by the two attorneys. The new firm, Barber Ranen LLP, specializes in employment law and has promised new hires a stronger salary and benefits package than they had at Lewis Brisbois. Lewis Brisbois is conducting a thorough review of Barber and Ranen’s correspondence and interviewing other employees who had interacted with the pair.