Law firm partner suspended 15 months for drunken misconduct toward junior staff

A law firm partner has been suspended from legal practice for 15 months after being found guilty of serious misconduct involving inappropriate behavior toward junior colleagues and summer clerks at workplace events.

The decision, handed down by the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal on Thursday, followed earlier findings that the lawyer—whose name remains suppressed during the appeal window—engaged in conduct that included grabbing a junior male solicitor’s genitals, making vulgar sexual comments, and demeaning a female clerk over her weight.

In addition to the suspension, the Tribunal ordered the lawyer to pay $68,359 in costs and $5,000 in compensation to one of the victims.

The incidents occurred at firm-organized social gatherings, including office Christmas parties. One such event featured a “dance circle” where the lawyer groped a colleague and made gestures mimicking sexual acts. Though the colleague said he wasn’t particularly uncomfortable, the Tribunal stressed that the behavior was still highly inappropriate and unprofessional.

Another charge centered around the lawyer’s verbal abuse and sexualized comments toward a female summer clerk. 

At one event, he asked her weight and responded to her answer with, “You must have been a fat bitch.” He later joked crudely about a colleague’s genital size and made explicit remarks about his own sexual expectations from bars.

The Tribunal heard that the summer clerk felt trapped, fearing any response might cost her a future graduate role.

At another party with a nativity theme, the lawyer used a six-foot bamboo crook as part of his costume to poke the bottoms of both male and female clerks. Several attendees, including another lawyer, urged him to stop. Eventually, a partner at the firm intervened and asked him to leave.

The affected junior staff described feelings of dread and discomfort about returning to work after the incidents.

During the hearings, the lawyer attributed his conduct to excessive alcohol consumption and claimed he had little memory of his actions. While he did not contest the accounts provided by the victims, he attempted to downplay the severity of his behavior—a move the Tribunal criticized as “disappointing.”

“Attempts to minimize such appalling behavior are troubling, particularly when the lawyer himself admits to having no clear recollection due to intoxication,” the ruling stated.

The Tribunal also emphasized that the lawyer’s position of authority made the misconduct more serious, especially given the vulnerability of junior staff. It concluded that his actions demonstrated a reckless disregard for professional obligations and basic human decency.

The lawyer, who has reportedly been sober since October 2021, was found guilty of both professional and personal misconduct. The Tribunal, citing arguments from the Standards Committee, stressed that the legal profession “cannot tolerate such failures to respect the bodily integrity and emotional safety of junior colleagues.”

The ruling marks a significant disciplinary step and sends a clear message about professional accountability and workplace behavior in the legal field.