No One Is Exempt

from the spector of wage and hour lawsuits, that is. Law.com reported last month that one of California's most successful wage and hour firms is being sued for claims arising out of an alleged profit-sharing bonus plan. The plaintiff, attorney Carolyn Burton, alleges that her former employer, The Furth Firm LLP, which tried and won a $172 million case against Wal-Mart in 2005, induced her to accept a below-market salary in exchange for profit-sharing bonuses amounting to 3 to 5 percent of the firm's annual profits, then failed to pay the bonuses. Burton now works for Glynn & Finley, LLP, a PMS spinoff, where she confirmed her compensation deal in writing, we hope. We know of several plaintiff-side firms that use such a business model. We've never heard of one giving a guaranteed profit level, however.