Biglaw Firm Investigating Partner’s Alleged Bullying

(Image via Getty)

As reported by RollonFriday, firm leaders at Proskauer have taken an active interest in allegations of bullying that keep cropping up around a particular partner in the London office. Allegations first surfaced in 2020, when an associate left the firm, citing the inappropriate behavior of a particular partner (unnamed, but referred to as “Dom” in reports).

googletag.cmd.push( function() { // Display ad. googletag.display( "div-id-for-top-300x250" ); });

At that time, employees in the London office were informed of the allegations, and the firm said, “Proskauer does not tolerate disrespectful or inappropriate behaviour,” and “we encourage anyone to report behaviour that they believe violates Proskauer’s policies.”

Sponsored What Do Millennials Think Of Law Firm Life? We want to know your views on law firm policies and culture. From Above The Law

Now RollonFriday reports multiple people have come forward to the firm with their own stories about the partner:

Its encouragement paid off. Post-lockdown, Dom got back in the office and “back in action”, said a source, resulting in fellow partners and associates whistleblowing on his conduct to HR and the US head office.

An insider estimated that approximately seven members of Dom’s team came forward with concerns regarding bullying.

“Associates are at their wits end, breaking down and refusing to do work with [Dom]”, said a source.

googletag.cmd.push( function() { // Display ad. googletag.display( "div-id-for-middle-300x250" ); }); googletag.cmd.push( function() { // Display ad. googletag.display( "div-id-for-storycontent-440x100" ); }); googletag.cmd.push( function() { // Display ad. googletag.display( "div-id-for-in-story-youtube-1x1" ); });

The report also alleges that the complaints were a big enough deal that firm leaders — including chair Steven Ellis —  addressed the matter in-person with the partner.

The firm said, “We encourage everyone to report behaviour that they believe violates our policies. The Firm conducts a full investigation of any reports of inappropriate behaviour and takes corrective action when warranted.”

Sponsored Sponsored The State Of Today’s Corporate Law Departments A report from our friends at Thomson Reuters will help you benchmark legal spend, find greater efficiency, and innovate for the future.  From Thomson Reuters and Above the Law Sponsored Legal Knowledge Management To Drive Dealmaking Here’s how Lexis Search Advantage | Transactional unites internal and external research to create better deals faster. From Ethan Beberness Sponsored How Are Millennials Changing Law Firm Culture? We want to know about your priorities. From Above The Law Sponsored Legal Knowledge Management To Drive Dealmaking Here’s how Lexis Search Advantage | Transactional unites internal and external research to create better deals faster. From Ethan Beberness

Let’s hope this puts an end to the problematic behavior.

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].

googletag.cmd.push( function() { // Display ad. googletag.display( "div-id-for-bottom-300x250" ); }); Sponsored Sponsored Stuck Drafting A Tough Brief? This Tool Can Help. LexisNexis Brief Analysis produces powerful, near-instant legal argumentation insights using the power of AI. From Ethan Beberness Sponsored What Do Millennials Think Of Law Firm Life? We want to know your views on law firm policies and culture. From Above The Law Topics

Biglaw, Bullying, Proskauer