CS Disco Inc. enlisted the assistance of Cooley to defend themselves against an anticipated class action lawsuit triggered by the departure of Kiwi Camara, the company’s co-founder, and former CEO. Mr. Kiwi, who maintains the distinction of being the youngest-ever graduate of Harvard Law School, left the company under a cloud of allegations about his conduct.
Complex commercial litigation expert Aric Wu of Cooley, who joined the firm in 2021 from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, has taken over to represent Disco and other executives, including Camara and CFO Michael Lafair amidst the lawsuit filed on 19th September, as per court filings.
The complaint alleges that Camara, along with the company and other involved parties, had given misleading information regarding Disco’s financial condition to the investors.
Executive Exodus
Among various other legal issues, Disco is dealing with the impact of considerable employee turnover since its stock market debut. The company is apparently seeking to recruit an associate general counsel to help rebuild its in-house legal expertise.
Turmoils have not stopped Disco from continuing their efforts towards business expansion. The company has recently introduced an AI platform, Cecilia, that offers features like legal material reviews and case research. Furthermore, Disco announced a long-term licensing agreement with vLex LLC in November to integrate its extensive law library with Disco’s existing software.
Culture Concerns
Issues raised about a hostile work environment within the company have also added to Disco’s existing concerns. Anonymous sources conveyed to the Wall Street Journal that there has been a discriminatory culture against women in the company under Camara’s leadership.
In reaction to the accusations made against Disco, the company brought on Jeannie Rhee from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison to lead the review and revamp of the company’s workplace policies and procedures.
The problem seemed to intensify when Moneet Kohli, a previous employee of Disco, registered a discrimination complaint with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Kohli alleged that she faced sexual harassment from an employee of Allen Matkins, a Disco client, and subsequently alleged that Disco retaliated against her for voicing her discomfort.
It is important to note that the case against Disco has been filed as Gambrill v. CS Disco, Inc. et al, and will be carried out in the US District Court in the Southern District of New York.