Biglaw

Former Biglaw Attorney Sentenced To 8 Years Jail Time For Sexual Assault Charges

He was suspended from the firm following his arrest.

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A former Biglaw attorney, Tom Hagyard, has been sentenced to eight years in prison on sexual assault charges. The charges stem from an October 2017 house party in West London, England. Hagyard had recently begun working at Eversheds Sutherland, and attended a housewarming party with some colleagues.

At the party, Hagyard assaulted two women, one of whom was a law student, as described by Legal Cheek:

That evening Hagyard attacked the law student, then in her 20s, while she was passed out on the party host’s bed, before going on to touch another student, also in her 20s, underneath her bra while she slept on a sofa.

The ex-rookie insisted the sexual activity was consensual, telling Isleworth Crown Court that both women were “enjoying it”.

Hagyard was convicted of two counts of assault by penetration and two counts of sexual assault. The jury did not reach a verdict on one count of rape.

The victim impact statements revealed how the assaults have played out in the lives of the women:

In their victim impact statements, the first woman explained how the attack had left her “with chronic stress, anxiety, insomnia and panic attacks”, while the second victim revealed how she had been “grieving for the loss of my old self” and had been treated for a paracetamol overdose in the run-up to the trial.

Hagyard was suspended from Eversheds Sutherland following his arrest, and never resumed his position. He formally left the firm in June 2018.

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Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. 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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