Chung and Dasgupta: Supplemental Information on Jordan Ramirez and Casey Clark

The Promotion Process at Chung and Dasgupta, LLP

On a snowy Friday evening in early February, only two lights were on in the offices of Chung and Dasgupta, LLP, a leading intellectual property litigation firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Despite the fact that the average Associate (or non-partner attorney) at Chung and Dasgupta worked 80-120 hours a week, most attorneys had left early this Friday due to a blizzard that was predicted to hit the Boston area that night. But the lights were still on in the office of Associate Jordan Ramirez, as well as in the office of partner Casey Clark one floor above.

The two lawyers pondered the same issue as they stared out their windows at the snow already starting to fall heavily – how would they handle the upcoming annual review meeting where Casey Clark would formally apprise Jordan Ramirez of Jordan’s performance in the previous year? And would the meeting cover the topic of the rumored early promotion of Mona Leung to partner, which (if true) would be the first time Chung and Dasgupta had promoted an Associate early? Both Casey and Jordan wondered how the topic of Mona’s rumored early promotion could not be part of their conversation next week, given that Jordan joined the firm the same year as Mona, and since Jordan and Mona were widely regarded as the highest-performing Associates in their cohort. Jordan and Casey would be formally sitting down for the performance review in a few short days, but neither was yet sure how to best approach the meeting.

Chung and Dasgupta, LLP

History of the firm

Chung and Dasgupta, LLP (hereafter “C & D”), was founded by Tian-Cho (“T.C.”) Chung and Anjali Dasgupta in 1980. The two founding partners had much in common. First, they both came from engineering backgrounds. Chung had a Ph.D. in astrophysics from MIT, while Dasgupta received a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from Duke’s engineering school. (Dasgupta was one of only two women to receive a Ph.D. in engineering from Duke in 1969.)

Second, both founding partners were immigrants to the United States. Chung came as a child from Southern China in 1948, during the Chinese Revolution. Dasgupta came to the U.S. after her

Professor Ian Larkin and Research Associate Karen Huang prepared this case. The company discussed in this case is fictitious. This case is not based on a single individual or company but is a composite based on the author’s general knowledge and experience. Funding for the development of this case was provided by Harvard Business School. HBS cases are developed solely as the basis for class discussion. Cases are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective management.

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