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DLA Piper Partner Out Following #MeToo Allegations

The incident is under investigation by regulatory authorities.

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An unidentified partner at DLA Piper New Zealand is out of the firm following two “behavioural incidents” in 2017, and is under investigation by the New Zealand regulatory authority. While full details of the circumstances leading to the partner’s departure are unknown, we have some information.

As reported by New Zealand news outlet Stuff, the partner in question had been told not to attend the firm’s Christmas party unsupervised. What led to this mandate is unclear, but it appears to be warranted. Despite this warning, he went to the party during which the alleged incident occurred.

DLA Piper New Zealand managing partner Martin Wiseman confirmed to American Lawyer that an incident occurred. The staff member affected reported it two days later and the firm took action:

“The firm took immediate steps in December 2017 to ensure the safety and well-being of the staff member involved,” Wiseman said.
Wiseman said that DLA Piper investigated the incident that month and subsequently reported it to the New Zealand Law Society (NZLS), a body overseeing barristers and solicitors in the country, under a “confidential reporting regime.”

“The incident is being investigated by the NZLS Standards Committee and DLA Piper New Zealand has submitted itself to a confidential NZLS process,” said Wiseman in his statement, which noted that the firm is not able to discuss any other aspects of the incident or individuals involved due to NZLS’s confidentiality requirements.

Wiseman also confirmed the parter left DLA Piper in December.

The firm also made the following statement following news of the investigation:

“Respect, inclusion and equality are central to our firm’s values,” a DLA Piper spokesman said. “We are committed to ensuring our workplace is a supportive and positive environment and expect our people to uphold the firm’s high standards. Where this is not the case appropriate action will be taken.”

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We can only hope that firms dealing with sexual harassment issues are able to deal with the situation quickly and decisively. It is only with this support from firms that women will feel comfortable and safe coming forward and the real work of ending sexual harassment in the legal industry can begin.

headshotKathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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