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".