Freshfields Partner Ryan Beckwith SDT Hearing Starts With Explosive Allegations
Allegations have referred to a 'drinking culture' at the firm as well as an apparent friendship between the firm's in-house counsel and the accused.
September 30, 2019 at 07:44 AM
3 minute read
A Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) hearing into the conduct of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer partner Ryan Beckwith has started this morning (September 30) with explosive allegations about a "drinking culture" at the firm, as well as an apparent friendship between the firm's in-house counsel and the accused.
Beckwith stands accused of having engaged in sexual activity with a junior colleague without her consent.
The 10-day substantive hearing over alleged sexual misconduct heard from Riel Karmy-Jones, counsel for the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), that based on complainant Person A's witness statement, the firm engendered a "drinking culture" in which younger staff were encouraged to go out to drink after work, typically Thursdays and Fridays, at least twice a month. It added that partners would usually open a tab at the bar and buy drinks for junior staff, resulting in people generally coming into work the following day "hungover".
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Law Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
- 1The Law Firm Disrupted: For Big Law Names, Shorter is Sweeter
- 2Wine, Dine and Grind (Through the Weekend): Summer Associates Thirst For Experience in 'Real Matters'
- 3'That's Disappointing': Only 11% of MDL Appointments Went to Attorneys of Color in 2023
- 4What We Know About the Kentucky Judge Killed in His Chambers
- 5'I'm Staying Everything': Texas Bankruptcy Judge Halts Talc Trials Against J&J
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250