Law f irm barred from UC campus

University of Canterbury (UC) has axed Russell McVeagh from a campus event as a review into sexual misconduct allegations at the law firm is under way.

The firm had a publicity event planned at the Ilam campus next month, but has been told to stay away. UC yesterday joined six other New Zealand law schools in putting its relationship with Russell McVeagh on ice while the independent review was ongoing.

The scandal broke publicly a fortnight ago. Students working in the firm’s summer clerk programme in 2015-16 complained about inappropriate sexual behaviour and misconduct by staff in its Wellington office. Allegations include that staff had engaged in boardroom sex with students, as well as claims of sexual harassment.

UC dean of law Professor Ursula Cheer said yesterday Russell McVeagh’s involvement with the school of law, including its recruitment and marketing to students, was on hold.

‘‘We told Russell McVeagh late yesterday [Wednesday] that we didn’t want them to come onto campus any longer to market themselves or recruit,’’ she said.

‘‘They had an event lined up later in the month and so that’s gone and we said we wouldn’t distribute any [marketing] materials as well.’’

‘‘It’s until the independent review is carried out and we’ll reassess things when we see the results of that,’’ Cheer said.

Meanwhile, the New Zealand Law Society was establishing a working group, the hosting of webinars and a survey all aimed at preventing misconduct and examining ‘‘broader systemic issues’’ at play within the walls of the country’s law firms.

While unable to comment directly on the Russell McVeagh allegations, society president Kathryn Beck did say there was no place for sexual misconduct and harassment within the profession

‘‘It must stop. The law society is determined to do all it can to tackle a complex issues in an innovative and practical manner,’’ she said.

Further north, the University of Auckland (UA) dean of law Professor Andrew Stockley is calling on all law firms to address cultural issues and ‘‘systemic failures’’.

Despite the firm commissioning an external review of both its Auckland and Wellington offices to ‘‘understand if, how and where’’ errors were made last week, the decision had not gone far enough for UA.

Stockley penned a scathing letter to Russell McVeagh’s board chairman Malcolm Crotty about the firm’s handling of the matter.

He said faculty members and law student societies felt the firm’s apology had fallen short, its public response had been ‘‘unduly legalistic and narrow’’ and it had failed to recognise the harm some female law students experienced.

He also referred to another letter written by New Zealand law deans that outlined concerns there was not a ‘‘full and frank disclosure . . . of the ongoing links maintained with staff who were exited, and that more was not done to sever these.’’

Firm representatives had assured Stockley and the university’s vice-chancellor Professor Stuart McCutcheon that systems were in place to ‘‘guarantee the safety and welfare of students’’ in the clerk programme during a meeting in November 2016.

‘‘We are concerned that Russell McVeagh’s response to the recent media coverage does not reflect the change in culture we were assured would occur,’’ Stockley said.

As a result, the school and its student societies have put their relationships with the firm ‘‘on hold’’ for the rest of the year. That meant the university would not accept Russell McVeagh funding or allow it to attend recruitment events on campus.

In a statement, UA’s law school media said it would not accept any student being subjected to ‘‘inappropriate behaviour, pressure, or sexual harassment’’.

Stockley said the school was aware the cultural issues were ones that ‘‘potentially affect other law firms’’ and that he wanted to discuss what other things could be done to ensure students and graduates were treated with ‘‘dignity and respect’’.