The law firm Outten and Golden is representing clients in the bulk of lawsuits brought against media companies by former unpaid interns. The firm is currently litigating cases against Hearst Magazines and Conde Nast. It represents clients who filed suit against Fox Searchlight Pictures, a case in which the judge this month ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. And it represented unpaid interns who sued Charlie Rose, who agreed to settle the case and pay his former interns.
According to Sally Abrahamson*, an associate at Outten and Golden, the firm is not trying to destroy the intern system, but instead it seeks to reform it. “This is a social justice issue,” she said. The firm said it is not soliciting former interns; instead, according to its attorneys, the interns are finding Outten and Golden.
Among its marketing strategies is the blog Unpaid Interns Lawsuit, which is managed and written by Outten and Golden employees. Content on the blog includes information about the firm’s cases as well as news and information about internships and the law. The blog is among the first sites that appears in a Google search for “unpaid intern lawsuits.”
Paul W. Mollica, a lawyer at Outten and Golden, writes the blog’s newsier posts. He said the blog is a forum for attracting attention from potential clients and other attorneys, who might refer business to them or act as co-counsel on cases. It’s also drawn press attention.
“A lot of contact with the national media has been through this blog,” Mr. Mollica said.
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*(admitted pro hac vice; not admitted in New York, admitted in Texas and the District of Columbia only)