SDT

Gary Senior had suggested to senior people at Baker McKenzie that he personally pay off a junior lawyer who had raised a harassment allegation against him in 2012, a tribunal has heard.

Giving evidence during cross-examination at the the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal hearing into former Baker McKenzie London head Gary Senior – which resumed Monday after a five-day adjournment – ex-partner and co-respondent Tom Cassels said he had objected to Senior's proposal to offer Person A money following the incident at the centre of the 15-day process.

Cassels, who played a lead role in the internal investigation that followed the incident, said he had considered such an action "distasteful", adding: "I didn't like the idea that he would buy himself out of the problem by paying her off."

The hearing, which opened on December 2, has so far seen former Baker McKenzie London head Gary Senior admitting that his behaviour towards a junior associate, known as Person A, during an incident in 2012 had amounted to sexual harassment.

Cassels also claimed that, as an alternative to paying Person A, former global chairman Eduardo Leite wanted Senior to make a donation to a women's charity instead, after which Senior donated £20,000 to such a charity.

The firm ended up paying the complainant £30,000.

According to Cassels, in addition to drinking restrictions, the firm required Senior to undertake awareness training.

Cassels said: "I thought that maybe after nine years of being managing partner, it was possible that [Senior] had lost touch with the importance and the impact of his role on junior staff."

Throughout the session, Cassels admitted that "we could have done things differently with Person A", and that he regretted not meeting her face to face "to see the impact" the incident had had on her.

He also said that, over dinner, he told Senior that, following legal advice by Lewis Silkin, he may be asked to leave the firm. Cassels claimed that at this point he "was hoping" Senior would resign from his position, but that he did not. However, Cassels said Senior's term as London managing partner was shortened by three months by the firm.

It was also revealed that Cassels took over from Senior as gender champion at the firm following the incident.