Female staff at Russell McVeagh work function 'thought they should have been safe'

Thursday, 5 July 2018

Female staff at law firm Russell McVeagh were 'intimidated, confused and uncomfortable' when a drunk partner touched them inappropriately and kissed them during a Christmas party in 2015, an independent report into alleged sexual behaviour at the firm has revealed.

In one of three separate incidents involving the man, four female staff spoke of him touching their breasts, waist, and bottom during the party, before trying to get into a taxi with one of them at the end of the night.

One woman said she was at the bar when the man put his hand around her waist and led her away from the bar, encouraging her to finish her drink, and trying to kiss her.

Another said she was on the dancefloor when the man grabbed her breasts, waist and bottom several times, and a third woman said the man touched her bottom and kissed her, also while dancing.

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At the end of the night, a fourth woman said the man pulled her aside, grabbed her breast, and tried to kiss her. He told her she had spilled wine on her top and again touched her breasts, before trying to get into the taxi she was in.

'The four summer clerks told me that at the time they felt intimidated, confused and uncomfortable,' Dame Margaret Bazley said in her report.

'They told me they were distressed this had happened at a work function where they thought they should have been safe.'

The women told Bazley they knew what had happened was wrong, but were unsure about whether to report it because no-one around them had reacted.

They were worried people would think the man was just being friendly or they had had too much to drink.

The same man was at the centre of another incident at a smaller party he hosted a few days later, when it is alleged he again acted in a sexually inappropriate manner.

The incident took place late in the evening during a party for a group of the firm's solicitors, in which the partner provided drinks well into the night.

The following January, when staff had returned from the Christmas break, a third incident was reported to have taken place following a dinner involving some solicitors and summer clerks at a nearby restaurant.

The group went to another bar, where the man brought drinks for them throughout the evening, before the alleged incident took place.

Bazley said alcohol played a 'significant part' in the firm over the years, but the clerks did not enable or contribute to any of the incidents.