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Bakers responds to ‘shortcomings’ identified in sexual harassment review
A special committee established by the leadership at Baker McKenzie recently completed its report on the handling of a “sexual misconduct incident” from six years ago in its London office, which the firm has subsequently responded to.
Jerome Doraisamy
The special committee was made up of a group of senior partners and senior business professionals, and was tasked with examining – in conjunction with fellow law firm Simmons & Simmons – “what measures, mechanisms and processes the firm should have in place to ensure such matters are dealt with to the highest standards”.
The review conducted was “extremely thorough”, the firm noted, and included dozens of face-to-face interviews and analysis of relevant documentation.
Simmons commented, Bakers added, that “as a firm we had been particularly open and transparent in our desire to ensure that we got to the root of the problem and to learn from our mistakes”.
However, the report concluded that “there were a number of shortcomings” in the way the incident from six years ago was handled at that time.
This is something “we very much regret”, Bakers said.
The issues pertaining to the relevant incident, and the firm’s response to it, are currently the subject of investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in England and Wales, with whom the firm is “cooperating fully”.
The SRA investigation is ongoing, Bakers said, “as is our commitment to protect the privacy of the former associate, as she has requested”.
Elsewhere, the special committee acknowledged efforts the firm had made since the incident six years ago, including but not limited to a firm-wide code of business conduct, independent reporting hotline, creation of chief people officer role, enhancing internal due diligence processes, introduction of BakerYou culture survey.
It also recommended a “series of additional initiatives” to be introduced in the coming months to “comprehensively address workplace behaviour”, building on existing internal processes.
The firm noted that it will also be introducing “enhanced local and global training” for new ‘first point of contact’ roles, as well as further mandatory workplace behaviour training which aims to ensure all staff understand internal policies and what constitutes unacceptable and inappropriate behaviour across the board.
In addition, talent management professionals will undergo further complaints management and investigations training, the firm said.
Bakers is one of the few global firms to have a regular global people survey, it posited, with its most recent BakerYou survey confirming an “overwhelming pride” in the institution and support of its commitment to diversity and inclusion.
“At the same time, the leadership of the Firm is highly conscious of the feedback in the survey, echoed in the Special Committee report, that we still have work to do.”
“None of this has been easy but it’s been a necessary period of reflection and self-assessment,” the firm said.
“We are determined to learn, to ensure that these new programs are implemented consistently across the firm, and to use this moment to improve."
Comment was sought from the Australian arm of the firm, pertaining to idiosyncratic national measures to address such issues. A response was not received.
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly and HR Leader. He has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. In June 2024, he also assumed the editorship of HR Leader. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of the Minds Count Foundation.
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