Bullying in the legal profession is believed to be more common than in some other professions. It is believed that its adversarial, hierarchical tradition contributes towards this.[1] Women, trainees and solicitors who have been qualified for five years or less are more impacted, as are ethnic minority lawyers and gay, lesbian, and bisexual lawyers.[2]
Half of women lawyers and one in three men who took part in a study by the Law Council of Australia (LCA) reported they had been bullied or intimidated in the workplace.[3] The Law Council of Australia has found that women face significant levels of discrimination, with one of the study's key figures telling Lawyers Weekly the profession is a "men's only club".[4]
According to former High Court judge Michael Kirby, the rudeness of judges trickles down to senior lawyers who then vent their frustrations on more junior staff, thus creating a cycle of bullying and stress that is rife within the legal profession.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Le Mire, Suzanne; Owens, Rosemary A propitious moment?: Workplace bullying and regulation of the legal profession University of New South Wales Law Journal, The Volume 37 Issue 3 (Dec 2014)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-02-01. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
- ^ Society publishes guidance on tackling bullying in solicitor profession The Journal of the Law Society of Scotland 27 June 2011
- ^ Leanne Mezrani 4 February 2014 Bullying rates 'alarming' Lawyers Weekly
- ^ Leanne Mezrani 14 March 2014 Law is failing and hurting women Lawyers Weekly
- ^ Bullying judges breed stressful system: Kirby
Further reading
edit- Omari, M. & Paull, M. (2014). “Shut up and bill”: Workplace bullying challenges for the legal profession. International Journal of the Legal Profession. Volume 20, Issue 2, 2013 p1-20.
External links
edit- Stephanie A. Scharf & Roberta D. Liebenberg, Bullying in the Legal Profession: A Study of Illinois Lawyers’ Experiences and Recommendations for Change, Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism (2024).
- Bullying in the UK legal profession Case history #50
- Bullying in the UK legal profession Case history #52
- James Barnes 16 October 2012 The Global Legal Post Bullying rife in English legal profession
- Sophie Schroder 8 Oct 2014 Australasian Lawyer Lawyers some of Australia’s worst bullies?
- The Connecticut Law Tribune August 27, 2014 Editorial: Confronting Bullying Within the Legal Profession
- Knocking Out Bullying in the Legal Profession
- Civility Matters: Rudeness and Bullying in the Legal Profession
- 8 January 2014 Legal Futures Bullying at work on the rise, says lawyer support charity
- David Yamada December 10, 2013 Bullying lawyer suspended from practice for two years
- Harriet Alexander March 23, 2013 DPP warns lawyers: stop bullying one another or else
- Bullying at Work Legal Organizations, Coping Strategies, and Health Problems
- Lawyer says firm's harassment made her ill March 3, 2010 Ben Schneiders