The spotlight is on Jeffrey Bronheim, the former London managing partner of Cohen & Gresser, who is now under investigation by the U.K.’s Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). And if you thought this was going to be a mild HR hiccup, buckle up: according to reporting from Law.com, the allegations include sexual harassment, repeated inappropriate conduct, and a pattern of behavior that made multiple women at the firm uncomfortable.
Sources told Law.com that Bronheim allegedly engaged in sexual harassment of a staff member on multiple occasions between 2022 and 2023. The conduct reportedly included both verbally inappropriate comments and physically inappropriate behavior. There are also claims that Bronheim made unwanted physical contact, purchased or discussed “items of a personal nature,” and acted inappropriately toward other female staff. Several women also reported feeling excluded from work-related social gatherings because of his behavior — which is certainly one way to poison a workplace culture.
According to a spokesperson, when they firm learned of the allegations they “initiated a thorough, independent investigation, which included interviews of every current employee and partner with knowledge of the facts and circumstances,” and he was “immediately removed as firm managing partner.”
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The spokesperson continued that Bronheim “was instructed to work remotely, and was restricted from attending in-person firm activities while the matter was under review,” and he was required to “undergo one-on-one sensitivity coaching.”
“[Bronheim] subsequently chose not to return to the office as a partner and instead requested to transition to an external part-time consulting role, which the firm’s management accepted,” the firm’s statement read.
But Bronheim insists it wasn’t a demotion from partner, but a career choice he made. As Bronhem told Law.com, “In fact, the investigation concluded and I was scheduled to return to the office. Instead, I decided to resign my London partnership while remaining a part-time consultant to the New York office of the firm and pursuing other interests in London.”
However, this chapter of Bronheim’s story isn’t over. There’s still the matter of the SRA investigation. Cohen & Gresser self-reported to the regulators and turned over their 250-page report on the matter. An SRA spokesperson said, “We are investigating this matter, before deciding on next steps.”
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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 or Mastodon @[email protected].