header-logo header-logo

#UsToo?

18 July 2019 / John Gould
Issue: 7849 / Categories: Features , Regulatory , Profession
printer mail-detail

John Gould discusses what role professional regulation should play in tackling bullying & sexual harassment in the legal profession

  • The concept of professional misconduct and what should attract the attention of regulators?

In May of this year the International Bar Association published its report on bullying and sexual harassment in the legal profession (‘Us Too? Bullying and Sexual Harassment in the Legal Profession’, International Bar Association, May 2019). It was based on 6,980 responses from 135 countries. The conclusions of the report were that bullying is rife in legal workplaces and sexual harassment is common. The majority of those on the receiving end do not report it because of factors such as the status of the perpetrator, the fear of repercussions and the problem being endemic to the workplace. Policies and training aren’t making much, if any, difference, with the position being just as bad in firms with policies and training as those without.

Although it would be tempting to think that the problems are worse in other countries where old fashioned macho

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

NEWS
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ
In this week's NLJ, Steven Ball of Red Lion Chambers unpacks how advances in forensic science finally unmasked Ryland Headley, jailed in 2025 for the 1967 rape and murder of 75-year-old Louisa Dunne. Preserved swabs and palm prints lay dormant for decades until DNA-17 profiling produced a billion-to-one match
Artificial intelligence may be revolutionising the law, but its misuse could wreck cases and careers, warns Clare Arthurs of Penningtons Manches Cooper in this week's NLJ
The Supreme Court issued a landmark judgment in July that overturned the convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo, once poster boys of the Libor and Euribor scandal. In NLJ this week, Neil Swift of Peters & Peters considers what the ruling means for financial law enforcement
Writing in NLJ this week, Victoria Rylatt and Robyn Laye of Anthony Gold Solicitors examine recent international relocation cases where allegations of domestic abuse shaped outcomes
back-to-top-scroll