A prestigious City law firm is facing allegations of bullying and sexual misconduct involving senior staff, raising concerns about workplace culture and how complaints are handled at the top of organisations.
The claims, first reported by legal news site RollOnFriday, suggest that concerns about behaviour have been raised internally, including during a global partner call led by senior leadership.
The allegations point to potential inconsistencies in how disciplinary issues are managed, particularly where senior or high-performing individuals are involved.
Concerns raised over conduct and internal processes
The firm at the centre of the allegations is Kennedys, a global legal practice specialising in insurance and dispute resolution, with thousands of employees and offices across multiple jurisdictions and its UK headquarters at the “Walkie Talkie” skyscraper in the City of London.
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According to the report, during a Teams call with worldwide partners, senior partner John Bruce addressed “allegations of both bullying and sexual harassment” during a recent worldwide partner call, acknowledging concerns about behaviour at senior levels.
“Unfortunately I do need to speak to the partnership about behavioural standards and conduct across our partnership and senior levels of the firm”, he said, according to RollOnFriday, which said it had seen the call.
Bruce said the firm had “seen an increase in concerns about behaviour at senior levels, both informal and formal, and this includes, unfortunately, allegations of both bullying and sexual harassment”.
“It is a pattern that concerns me and it’s not about just the one incident”, Bruce said, adding that that “obviously, in any context, this is not acceptable”.
Sources cited in the report alleged that incidents had occurred both internally and in client-facing settings, including social events where alcohol was involved.
They also raised concerns about how complaints are handled, with claims that some cases involving senior figures have not been addressed as robustly as others.
Allegations of uneven disciplinary treatment
A central issue raised in the report is the suggestion of a two-tier disciplinary approach within the firm.
Sources alleged that individuals seen as commercially valuable or influential may be treated more leniently than others, particularly where they hold senior positions or maintain strong client relationships.
This, they claimed, risks undermining confidence in internal processes and could contribute to a culture where certain behaviours are not consistently challenged.
There were also concerns raised about the effectiveness of HR processes, with suggestions that some complaints may not have been handled by sufficiently experienced personnel.
Wider risks for employers
Experts say the allegations highlight broader risks for organisations where governance and culture are not aligned, particularly in professional services environments where client relationships and revenue generation can influence internal dynamics.
Incidents involving clients were cited as a particular concern, as they raise the potential for reputational damage alongside internal cultural issues.
The situation also reflects ongoing challenges across parts of the legal sector, where high-profile cases in recent years have drawn attention to how misconduct is addressed and regulated.
Firm stresses ‘zero tolerance’
Responding to the allegations, the firm said it operates a zero-tolerance approach to inappropriate behaviour and maintains robust disciplinary processes.
Senior partner John Bruce said the organisation was committed to addressing concerns directly. “I cannot comment on unknown and unspecified allegations,” he told the Daily Mail. “What I can say is that our firm has a zero-tolerance approach in addressing behaviour that falls short of the high standards we expect from our people.”
He said standards applied to all staff regardless of seniority. “This applies to all Kennedys personnel, irrespective of seniority and regardless of partner status,” he said.
He added that issues are handled through established governance procedures and that he was confident those processes were effective. “Any concerns are addressed through the firm’s established governance and disciplinary processes and I am confident our processes are robust and operate as they should,” he said.
The firm also pointed to measures introduced to strengthen reporting, including a confidential “Speak Up” channel allowing employees to raise concerns anonymously.
Regulatory pressure on workplace conduct intensifies
As HRreview reported earlier this month, workplace misconduct is also moving further into the regulatory spotlight.
The Financial Conduct Authority has confirmed that from September, bullying and harassment will be treated as potential breaches of its Code of Conduct rules, bringing non-financial misconduct into formal compliance frameworks.
The changes mean firms will be expected to treat issues such as bullying and harassment not just as internal HR matters but as regulatory risks, with implications for reporting, disciplinary action and senior management accountability.
The regulator has also made clear that behaviour linked to an individual’s role could affect assessments of whether they are fit to hold regulated positions, even where conduct takes place outside the workplace in certain circumstances.
The move is expected to increase pressure on organisations to ensure that complaints processes are robust, consistently applied and trusted by employees, particularly at senior levels.
William Furney is a Managing Editor at Black and White Trading Ltd based in Kingston upon Hull, UK. He is a prolific author and contributor at Workplace Wellbeing Professional, with over 127 published posts covering HR, employee engagement, and workplace wellbeing topics. His writing focuses on contemporary employment issues including pension schemes, employee health, financial struggles affecting workers, and broader workplace trends.
- William Furney
- William Furney
- William Furney
- William Furney
