Firm Bows to EEOC and Drops Mandatory Retirement Policy

Bowing to pressure from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Kelley Drye & Warren, a large law firm with offices in New York, Washington and other cities in the U.S. and abroad, has dropped its mandatory retirement policy after facing pressure from an EEOC age discrimination suit, which alleged that the firm's retirement policy discriminated against older partners. In a reversal of its previous policy, the firm apparently recently amended its partnership agreement to allow equity partners to continue on past age 70. Senior partners will now be judged solely on performance, like other partners.

A number of the country's larger firms have similar policies — its success with Kelley Drye may well prompt the EEOC to target other firms with similar mandatory retirement policies.