Time’s up for sexist legal culture

More than two weeks after disturbing allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate workplace behaviour at highprofile law firm Russell McVeagh first emerged in the New Zealand media, the legal profession has announced it will clean up its act.

Better late than never. The New Zealand Law Society (NZLS) has been accused of minimising incidents and deflecting blame, even as story after story emerged of a male-dominated legal culture where ‘‘women were treated like objects and plied with drinks’’, as one former lawyer put it.

As in Hollywood before what is now called the #MeToo movement, a misogynistic culture seems to have been a so-called open secret that no-one dared to go public about. The power imbalances are obvious, whether the alleged offender is the head of a movie studio or a partner at a law firm, and the victim is a young actress hoping for a big break or a summer intern.

In these situations, it takes a lot for a woman to risk her career and risk being labelled as attention-seeking or destructive by speaking up. The powerful are protected by money, reputation or connections while the powerless struggle to be heard.

The NZLS response comes after five university law schools, including Otago, Canterbury and Victoria, ended relationships with Russell McVeagh, which has traditionally recruited interns on campus. ‘‘We want to make sure our students are safe in future, so it’s best to put things on hold, for now,’’ Canterbury’s Dean of Law, Ursula Cheer, told Newsroom.

The NZLS will set up a working group and create systems to make the reporting of workplace harassment easier. It has promised an educational ‘‘webinar’’. Russell McVeagh has also launched its own external review.

Again, as in the US, one report made it easier for others to reveal their experiences. Newsroom’s initial coverage was veiled behind some necessarily careful language, with neither victims nor alleged perpetrators named. Since then, at least two women have put their names to more detailed accounts.

Senior Auckland University of Technology law lecturer Khylee Quince described an incident ‘‘some years ago’’ when solicitors drank with and had consensual sex with students in a Russell McVeagh boardroom while other students watched.

A former lawyer, Olivia Wensley, has said that sexual harassment is the norm in the legal profession. She described debauched scenes reminiscent of the film The Wolf of Wall Street. Women were reportedly ranked by looks and the hiring policy could have been summarised as ‘‘is she hot?’’

In another account, a book of photos of interns was described as ‘‘the menu’’.

But some wonder if reviews are enough. They go further and blame sexist structures. While the majority of new lawyers are women, the profession remains male dominated. The NZLS reported in 2015 that almost 60 per cent of employees in law firms are women but only 26 per cent are directors or partners.

Only 17 per cent of Queen’s Counsels since 1988 have been women. Another study found that fewer than one in five partners at large firms in 2012 were women.

There are few professions where imbalances like these would be considered normal.