Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) hearing into alleged misconduct by former Baker McKenzie London head Gary Senior has been adjourned.

The hearing was told on Tuesday that the case is now adjourned until 09.30 on Monday December 16. According to a person with knowledge of the situation, the judges are to decide whether the hearing should remain public – and therefore open to the press – or held privately from now on.

The person did not offer any further explanation as to why the hearing had been adjourned, nor why the panel was considering closing the hearing to the public.

Senior faces allegations of inappropriate behaviour in 2012, including "seeking to initiate intimate activity", towards a person at the firm to who he was in a position of "authority and responsibility over". His cross-examination finished on Tuesday morning.

The hearing kicked off last month.

So far, it has heard from the former Baker McKenzie junior associate [Person A] who has accused Senior of attempting to kiss her after a late-night firm event in 2012, as well as Senior himself.

Person A had described feeling "cast aside" by the firm after she reported the incident, while Senior told the hearing he suffered "acute stress" during the internal investigation by Baker McKenzie.

Senior was also questioned by Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) counsel Andrew Tabachnik over claims he had attempted to influence the investigation into his behaviour, which was headed by former Baker McKenzie partner Tom Cassels and former HR director Martin Blackburn. Baker McKenzie was also referred to the SRA for its handling of the incident.

As it stands, the hearing will resume on Monday December 16 at 09.30, with Cassels set to take the stand.