PUTTING AN END TO BULLYING IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION: USEFUL LINKS

July 3, 2019 · by · in Useful links, Well being

I was sad to read a Tweet from a practising barrister earlier today. The barrister tweets anonymously (and thus candidly).  They describe a terrible situation of bullying within the legal profession and their decision to “bite back”.  This led me to look for useful links to help anyone in a similar situation.

THE TWEET

 

Bit back at my work bully today. It’s very liberating. They do fuck all back. Utterly powerless. Why do we ever let these people into our heads?

THE SCALE OF THE PROBLEM

The International Bar Association ” New IBA report calls time on ‘endemic’ bullying and sexual harassment in the legal profession”

This was a global survey.

  • one in two women and one in three men have experienced bullying in the workplace;
  • one in three women and one in 14 men have been sexually harassed;
  • in 57 per cent of bullying cases, incidents were not reported, with the figure rising to 75 per cent for episodes of sexual harassment;
  • there is considerable adverse impact, with 65 per cent of bullied practitioners having left or considered leaving their workplace as a result;
  • workplaces are not doing enough to prevent or adequately respond to misconduct, with policies regarding bullying and sexual harassment present in only 53 per cent of workplaces; and
  • just one in five workplaces have conducted training in recognising and reporting problems in these areas.

WIKIPEDIA

There is a Wikipedia entry Bullying in the legal profession

“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 lesbian, gay 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]”

PRACTICAL GUIDANCE

The Wikipedia entry has some useful links. I have concentrated on those that give practical advice on preventing bullying and dealing with bullying when it occurs.

 

YOUTUBE

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