Law firm ‘limited’ to pursue sex probe
Law firm Russell McVeagh says it reprimanded staff members following an investigation relating to an incident more than a decade ago.
But due to the “consensual nature” of the event, the firm said no formal complaint was ever received, limiting its ability to prove the alleged misconduct.
New allegations about the firm emerged just days after Russell McVeagh announced an external review following sexual harassment claims involving summer law clerks.
Auckland University of Technology senior law lecturer Khylee Quince made the latest claims on Saturday, alleging that staff at Russell McVeagh had sex with students on a boardroom table.
In a social media post, Quince wrote that she had “held her tongue for the past week”.
Quince said that Russell McVeagh’s response to claims of sexual assault and harassment relating to interns in the summer of 2015/16 had pushed her to act.
“I’ve been incensed at Russell McVeagh’s response to sexual harassment and assault of young women by their staff,” Quince wrote.
When Quince was approached for comment by the Herald yesterday she declined to elaborate.
A Russell McVeagh spokeswoman said the social media post referred to an incident that took place “more than 10 years ago”.
“Due to the consensual nature of the event, a formal complaint was never made. However, it was investigated fully and those involved were reprimanded.
“For a full formal investigation to be initiated we require a formal complaint to be made so that privacy laws are not breached.”
Quince, a former practising lawyer who taught law at the University of Auckland before switching to AUT, wrote that “some years ago” an upset student came to her University of Auckland office the morning after attending a seminar at Russell McVeagh.
“She said that after the seminar, the solicitors and students proceeded to drink the firm’s bar dry and things got out of control — culminating in a number of staff having sex on the boardroom table with several students — in front of other students.”
After making inquiries, Quince was satisfied there was no question as to consent, so did not involve police, she wrote.
She and a colleague demanded a meeting with the firm.
“Their response was that the students were adults — who needed to managed their own drinking; the firm bore no responsibility for them on their premises and frankly, this was none of their business. “I couldn’t believe it.” Quince said the pair also told the university, whose response was similar and included a claim that it was not their business because it occurred after hours and off university premises.
In a statement, Russell McVeagh reiterated that the law firm had “a culture of zero tolerance of any sexual harassment” and had committed to an external review of the serious events of 2015/16.
‘For a full formal investigation to be initiated we require a formal complaint to be made so that privacy laws are not breached’