New Zealand Law Society 'shocked' at scale of sexual harassment and bullying

Earlier this year law students took to the streets of Wellington to protest sexual harassment and bullying in the workplace. Photo / Marty Melville

The New Zealand Law Society is shocked at the amount of sexual harassment and bullying in the profession following a survey on the issue.

Last week the Law Society published results from its first survey of lawyers in the society's 150-year history about the issue.

The survey showed nearly one in three female lawyers had been sexually harassed at work and more than half of all lawyers had been bullied.

The Law Society was aware of sexual harassment and bullying in the profession, but was shocked at the scale of the problem as detailed in its survey, president Kathryn Beck said today.

"When confronted with the scale of crisis in our profession, lawyers everywhere are now asking questions around their own leadership," she said.

"Have they tolerated behaviours they shouldn't? Have they turned a blind eye and – deep down – have they known something was not right in their workplaces and culture, but failed to act?"

The Law Society was approached about concerns at Russell McVeagh on a strictly confidential basis. When the experiences of the young women were made public, it became apparent they were not alone and more similar accounts kept coming.

While work had been done in the area of gender equality and workplace health, it was clear that it was nowhere near enough, Beck said.

"We recognised that we didn't have a clear picture of what was happening in all of our legal workplaces. We had to know the extent of the problem. When we got that picture, it was shocking."

Beck wrote to lawyers in New Zealand last Wednesday outlining the scale of the problem and requesting immediate action. She said 90 per cent of responses received from lawyers since had been positive, with a clear commitment to action.

The less positive responses largely focused on a denial that there was a problem any more than other professions, as well as responses from those who didn't accept the extent of the harassment and bullying.

"I'm aware there's a lot of anger around what this report tells us, including from those who, through their own experience, never doubted the results.

"As a leader of our profession, I'm sorry that we have got to this point of crystal clear and common understanding as to the scale of our problem in different ways much slower than we should have. I accept this took too long.

"I'm committed to building relationships across the sector – including with those people and organisations who rightly have been critics of the leadership of the legal community. My aim is to eliminate sexual harassment and bullying and to build a culture that is inclusive and safe for all lawyers to be proud of.

"The release of the survey results last week has forced people and organisations to face unpleasant truths. Now this anger and disappointment must translate into a unified profession committed to a very different future."