Harassment ‘shameful’, lawyers say

FEMALE lawyers in Otago have condemned the ‘‘shameful’’ rate of sexual harassment and bullying in the legal profession following a national Law Society survey.

Otago Women Lawyers’ Society (Owls) put out a statement yesterday saying it was concerned by the results of the Law Society’s workplace environment survey, completed by 3516 lawyers.

‘‘These are serious matters which need to be acknowledged within the profession and addressed in the most proactive way possible,’’ Owls said.

The survey revealed nearly onethird of female lawyers had been sexually harassed during their working life, with 17% of female lawyers experiencing harassment in the past five years.

Male lawyers also reported they were sexually harassed, at a rate of 5% compared with 31% of women.

Twothirds of all the lawyers who had personally experienced sexual harassment described experiencing some form of unwanted physical contact, and 10% recalled five or more incidents of sexual harassment.

However, only 12% of lawyers who were sexually harassed formally reported it or made a complaint.

Fiftytwo percent of lawyers who responded had been bullied at some time in their working life, and 61% of lawyers who had been bullied said the experience affected their emotional or mental wellbeing.

Owls said it ‘‘condemned the behaviour in the strongest possible terms’’ and would be monitoring closely strategies in place to deal with the problem.

‘‘Owls is committed to ensuring the safety and equitable professional advancement of all women at all stages of the legal profession.’’