Hard-drinking law firm culture is something that needs to change, most lawyers know, but the culture of the law firm p*** up is something that should be left to law firm history.
An article in the Financial Times from legal affairs correspondent Kate Beioley pointed out that law firm practice, at least in London elite firms, is changing.
She quotes a junior lawyer saying that partners have grown increasingly nervous about joining in.
“Partners [senior lawyers] are terrified of going drinking with associates now,” he says. “And there’s basically an informal policy now that partners should never go drinking with female associates.” Law is in the middle of a crisis over its drinking culture.
The largest global legal groups are working hard to prevent more sex scandals and related problems that have been exacerbated by the prevalence of heavy drinking in the industry.
“Law firms aren’t alone but we’ve seen some high-profile problems recently,” a London-based partner at a US firm told the FT.
“The days of big p*ss-ups are gone and if law firms still want to turn a blind eye to it, then they should expect trouble.”
Alcohol has traditionally played a major role in the high pressure legal world, particularly among the corporate law firms where it has acted as a “social lubricant” for winning new clients and to relieve pressure from legal work.
As the FT reported said: Parties and expensive wine are ways of knitting together young lawyers on intensive placement schemes and new hires poached from rival firms. However, as the #MeToo movement spreads from Hollywood to the corporate world, the role alcohol plays in alleged misconduct issues at top-tier firms has come under scrutiny.
“The #MeToo [anti-sexual harassment] movement was a seismic shift and has moved into all areas where there’s the ability to abuse power — that of course includes law firms,” another senior partner in the City told the FT.
Senior male lawyers at UK firm Freshfields and Baker McKenzie were last year accused of sexual harassment and hauled in front of the UK lawyers’ regulator.
Source: Financial Times
See: Sexual Harassments & Coverups in the Law
Recent Posts on LawFuel
- DWF’s Private Equity Diet Sees 100+ Staff Positions Deemed Non-Essential in ‘Growth Strategy’The UK Law Private Equity Pinch Jacqui Coombe, LawFuel contributor In the latest episode of… Read more: DWF’s Private Equity Diet Sees 100+ Staff Positions Deemed Non-Essential in ‘Growth Strategy’
- Kirkland & Ellis: The Great Associate EscapeWhy Are Kirkland & Ellis Lawyers Heading for the Exits? Jacqui Coombe, LawFuel contributor If… Read more: Kirkland & Ellis: The Great Associate Escape
- Pogust Goodhead’s High-Stakes Hangoverf you thought class action was a contact sport, wait until you hear what’s been happening at Pogust Goodhead. The London-based litigation shop that made its name (and burned through a fair bit of investor cash) chasing down corporate behemoths is now facing a drama worthy of its own mini-series. Pogust Goodhead burst onto the scene with a business model that could make even the most jaded litigation funder’s eyes water. However there has been trouble brewing and, as The Times reported this week, the law firm’s own auditors have questioned whether the firm can continue as a going concern. Read More . .
- How Saudi Is Creating A New Big Law Gold RushThe Saudi Big Law Gold Rush Tom Borman, LawFuel contributing editor Big Law firms are… Read more: How Saudi Is Creating A New Big Law Gold Rush
- How US Law Firms Are Shaking Up The UK Legal ProfessionThe UK’s legal world is in the midst of a dramatic change with the driving force is coming from US law firms that are expanding aggressively into London, triggering a fierce battle for both clients and top legal talent. London has always been a global legal powerhouse, but in recent years, US law firms have set their sights on the city like never before. By 2021, nearly 90 major US firms had opened London offices, and that number has only grown since.
