Sweatpantsgate

Overview

Sweatpantsgate refers to the social media fallout following a Harvard Law student's decision to post a screenshot a rejection e-mail from Chicago-based law firm Edelson P.C. The law firm later revealed its rejection was based in part on the student showing up to a prior screening interview in sweatpants, which the student denied. The exchange has prompted strong reactions from the legal community, including criticism of both Edelson and the student's lack of professionalism.

Background

On August 28, 2018, Harvard Law student Kevin Gu posted an unredacted e-mail exchange between himself and Edelson P.C. to the public "Law School Memes for Edgy T14s" Facebook group.^[1] The group, in which law students (particularly those at "T14" or "Top 14" law schools) share content related to law school and the legal profession, has nearly 14,000 members as of August 30, 2018.^[6] The posted exchange shows Gu attempting to schedule a callback interview with Edelson P.C., a national law firm based out of Chicago.^[5] Kelsey McCann, the firm's Chief of Staff, rejected Gu, responding, "At this point, I think bringing you in for a callback interview would be a waste of your time, and ours."

McCann's rejection e-mail was widely criticized as unnecessarily harsh and unprofessional. The "waste of your time, and ours" line also became a subject of online and parody, as did Gu's simple response: "Got it. Thanks." As of August 30, 2018, Gu's post had gained upwards of 800 reactions and 250 comments.

Developments

On August 29, 2018, the story was reported by Above The Law, an online news source devoted to the legal community.^[2] The article caught the attention of Jay Edelson, the founder and CEO of Edelson P.C., who wrote a response to Above The Law.^[2][4] Jay Edelson explained the impetus behind his response as follows:

Partly because my internet is for some reason struggling to find new cat videos for me to watch and partly because some people are being asked questions about this, I wanted to send this email to provide the full context of what happened and our thoughts more generally.

The response explained the decision to reject Gu, noting that this was not the first time Gu had interviewed with Edelson P.C. In his first on-campus interview (OCI) as a first-year law student, Gu apparently showed up late to the interview wearing sweatpants.^[3] Edelson P.C. interviewed Gu again as a second-year law student, following strong references from a law professor. Again, Gu showed up to the interview late. Though Gu received an offer for a callback interview, he waited nearly three weeks before attempting to schedule the callback--a fact corroborated by Gu's own screenshot of the exchange. Jay Edelson concluded the response with the following:

I have more to say, but the cat videos are calling.
-Jay

The response sparked additional online reactions, which derided Gu's attempts at garnering sympathy after wearing sweatpants to a job interview. The response itself was also the subject of criticism. Some found the references to cat videos cringey, while others noted that the firm should have simply taken the high road by apologizing.

Gu's Reply

Gu disputed the claims in Jay Edelson's response, and wrote a reply to Above The Law:^[2]

I wanted to set the record straight on a factual issue in Mr. Edelson’s response: I have always worn 100% wool slacks in my interactions with his firm.

Gu's insistence that he wore "100% wool slacks" generated further parodies, with many comparing sweatpants to professional attire. Others noted that the phrase "100% wool slacks" did not actually rebut Edelson's claim that Gu wore sweatpants to the interview, as slacks can include any kind of casual trousers.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References