Biglaw

Biglaw Firm Admits To Sanctioning Partner After Sexual Assault Investigation

RollOnFriday reports that the partner was allowed to remain at the firm.

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Time’s Up.

At some point, time is going to be up for Biglaw. There is going to be a reckoning. A story published today on RollOnFriday sure looks like the shape of things to come. The publication reports that a partner at Baker McKenzie (they don’t say which office, but the story is filed under the site’s “European News” section) was sanctioned, but not fired, after the firm’s investigation into an alleged sexual assault.

Here are the details, according to RollOnFriday:

[A]fter an event the partner invited several associates including the victim back to his hotel for drinks, following which he assaulted her. Insiders say that the assault was relatively minor. But it was sufficiently serious to the firm for management to agree that the associate would be paid a significant sum of money, would enter into a confidentiality agreement and would not return to work.

The partner apparently offered to make a large donation to charity by way of atonement. It is not known whether this was accepted. But he remained at the firm and shortly afterwards was promoted.

RollOnFriday also claims that a line in Baker McKenzie’s accounts was an alleged payoff to the associate, but that the firm stated that it was simply “restructuring costs in various departments.”

RollOnFriday claims that it’s been tracking this story for over a year. A Baker McKenzie spokesperson reportedly gave this statement to the publication:

“We take any allegations of inappropriate behaviour or misconduct extremely seriously. This incident occurred several years ago and was reported by our HR team at the time. We treated the allegation very seriously and immediately carried out a thorough investigation, including obtaining both external and internal advice. On completion of the investigation, the Firm imposed sanctions on the partner concerned. A confidential settlement was then reached with the employee, which we are not in a position to discuss to protect the interests of the employee. Our Code of Business Conduct reflects the values of our organisation, and we expect all of our people, whether partners or employees, to abide by the principles and standards of behaviour set out in that Code.”

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It’s significant here that the firm admits that an investigation was conducted, sanctions were imposed, and a settlement was reached with the victimized employee. It’s also significant that the partner — RollOnFriday has kept all the names confidential — was apparently still allowed to work at the firm.

Our Baker McKenzie U.S. contacts confirmed this statement shortly after publication.

We all know that sexual harassment and assault happens in Biglaw. The legal industry is not immune to the culture of harassment. We have reported on numerous… open secrets, at anonymous firms. But what we haven’t been able to report on is whether any of these firms haven taken the allegations seriously. We don’t have details on investigations, or punishments, as Biglaw HR complaints remain largely locked inside of a black box.

That’s almost certainly going to change. Victims are going to be more willing to come forward and demand that predators be held accountable. Firms are going to realize that they can’t sweep these issues under the rug. We’re all going to realize that silence is the sexual predator’s best friend.

Watch this space.

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Exclusive: Top Baker McKenzie partner sexually assaulted associate [RollOnFriday]

Elie Mystal is the Executive Editor of Above the Law and the Legal Editor for More Perfect. He can be reached @ElieNYC on Twitter, or at elie@abovethelaw.com. He will resist.

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky has been an editor at Above the Law since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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