Dentons has suspended a male partner in response to allegations of inappropriate behaviour.

The firm has launched an internal investigation into the claims, which refer to behaviour by the partner when he was at legacy Scottish firm Maclay Murray & Spens, which merged with Dentons in July last year.

The partner in question has been put on leave of absence and will not return to the office while the investigation is carried out.

A Dentons spokesperson said: "Last week we became aware that reports of inappropriate behaviour were made against a Maclay Murray & Spens partner about 15 months ago, more than a year before its merger with Dentons.

"No formal complaint was made at the time or has been made subsequently, but we now understand the partner was warned about his future conduct."

The spokesperson added that the firm was taking the reports "very seriously", adding: "We will be making no further comment until the investigation has concluded and all parties have been informed of the outcome." The news was first reported by RollOnFriday.

Last year, Legal Week research revealed that nearly two thirds of female lawyers have experienced some form of sexual harassment while working at a law firm, with more than half (51%) experiencing it on more than one occasion.

Following the research, a number of female lawyers anonymously spoke to Legal Week about their experiences of sexual harassment in the profession.

In December, the Equality and Human Rights Commission wrote to all five magic circle firms to warn that it could take legal action if they fail to take appropriate action to prevent and respond to sexual harassment in the workplace, with the firms given until today (19 January) to respond.