Michelle Ní Longáin

Senior vice-president of the Law Society and chairperson of the Law Society’s gender equality, diversity and inclusion task force, Michelle Ní Longáin said: “The Law Society has embarked on an ambitious, evidence-based programme of change to support a culture of dignity, respect and inclusivity in the solicitors’ profession. 

“This follows the results of a research study, including a survey, initiated by the Law Society and conducted by Crowe that shows unacceptable levels of bullying, harassment and sexual harassment; significant underreporting of incidents; and limited consequences for those who have engaged in these behaviours. These findings, while troubling, are a collective call to action to reaffirm our commitment to eliminating behaviour that has no place in our profession.”

The key findings reported by respondents in the Dignity Matters survey include:

• One in three women (2.9) and one in two men (2.3) experienced bullying;
• One in two women (2.3) and one in nine men (8.6) experienced harassment;
• One in two women and one in eight men (8.3) experienced sexual harassment;
• A consistent majority did not report their experience of bullying (73 per cent) or harassment (71 per cent), with this figure rising to 91 per cent for experiences of sexual harassment;
• In so far as respondents were aware, reporting resulted in no sanctions for the persons who engaged in 88 per cent of bullying incidences, 89 per cent of harassment and 78 per cent of sexual harassment;
• The most prominent reason provided by respondents for not reporting bullying (70 per cent), harassment (76 per cent) and sexual harassment (49 per cent) was the profile/status of the person who engaged in these behaviours;
• Experience of bullying (46 per cent), harassment (50 per cent) or sexual harassment (21 per cent) has contributed to respondents leaving their workplace.

Commenting on the importance of leading by example, Ms Ní Longáin said: “In advance of this survey, the Law Society has and will continue to address in a proactive way the issues raised in the report through a range of member supports including an online Professional Wellbeing Hub with signposting to independent resources, mental health supports, training, mentoring, and Charters to support workplace efforts to stamp out this type of behaviour.”

“The future of our profession is more inclusive and has more diversity in leadership roles. This requires a professional culture grounded in dignity and respect. As part of our commitment to improving gender equality, diversity and inclusion in the profession, we are ready to take further action to continue this journey. Bullying, harassment and sexual harassment are present in all professions and industries. It is important to identify the issues and then take action, and we hope our efforts will encourage others to do the same.”