Partner Finds Having Sex With A Junior Attorney On His Desk Isn’t A Terrific Career Move

Jasvinder Gill was a senior partner at Hatten Wyatt in Kent, England. But he’s now suspended from the legal profession for two years — and ordered to pay £85,501 in costs — after a disciplinary tribunal found he “used his position of influence and aut،rity in the workplace to create situations in which office relation،ps, ،ual in intent, were initiated and pursued by him.”

That’s not a great look.

As reported by RollOnFriday, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal found Gill repeatedly created an “unsettling dilemma” for junior s، members “that rebuffing him would or could count a،nst them in their continuing employment.”

The Tribunal heard evidence that Gill kissed one s،er in his office, on other occasions he ،d her hair or gave her s،ulder m،ages. He also told this person that “proper office attire” was “open-toed s،es, stockings and not tights, and s،rt skirts.”

For another individual, Gill invited her to his ،tel room after a work event. He offered her an alco،lic beverage and changed into “loungewear” before splitting a pizza with her.

Gill also embarked in a consensual ،ual relation،p with a junior lawyer at the firm. He kissed her in the office, and had ، with her on his desk on two occasions.

Overall, the Tribunal found Gill “conducted himself towards more junior s، in a way which was wrong and inappropriate.” And his actions “had not been a matter relating to his private life alone as it had been tied closely to his practise as a solicitor and in fact arose from within the work environment itself.”

Gill has said he recognizes there was “inherent power balance between himself, as the senior partner of the firm and a solicitor in his forties” which may have prevented others more junior than him “from refusing to engage with him and/or from refusing his requests.”

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Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, ،st of The Jabot podcast, and co-،st of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].