But global outfit says it found no evidence of harassment
A partner at Dentons who was placed on a leave of absence following allegations he acted inappropriately towards female members of staff has left the firm. The global outfit said his behaviour “fell well below the expectations that we have of our partners”, however it “found no evidence of sexual harassment”.
The unnamed partner hit headlines last month when allegations came to light that he engaged in inappropriate behaviour with female colleagues during his time at Scottish outfit Maclay Murray & Spens (MMS). In the firm’s words: “Last month we became aware that reports of inappropriate behaviour were made against a MMS partner about 15 months ago, more than a year before MMS’s merger with Dentons.”
A source claims MMS was aware of the allegations at the time and failed to take appropriate action, according to weekly legal blog RollOnFriday. The female victim was reportedly asked if she “really wanted to take him on”; the source describes the handling of the matter as “disgraceful” and said she was “advised to just get on with things”.
Dentons said that “immediately upon becoming aware of these reports we launched an internal investigation and placed the partner on a leave of absence”.
And it now appears he won’t be returning. A spokesperson for Dentons said:
“The investigation has now completed and we have found no evidence of sexual harassment. However, during the investigation it became apparent that the behaviour of the partner concerned fell well below the expectations that we have of our partners. We can confirm that he has now left the firm.”
This news comes just days after Baker McKenzie confirmed a partner who allegedly assaulted a female associate is set to leave the City firm.
This incident reportedly occurred after the unnamed partner invited a number of lawyers, including the victim, back to his hotel for drinks. It is understood the woman received a “significant” cash sum and entered into a “confidential settlement” before leaving the firm.
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