Allegations of ‘bullying and sexual harassment’ have run rampant at a top City of London legal firm, forcing bosses to issue a companywide clampdown against the emerging ‘pattern’.
Senior partner of Kennedys law firm, John Bruce, told partners across the globe that he had received both ‘informal and formal’ reports of rising levels of ‘allegations of both bullying and sexual harassment’ at senior levels in the company.
Sexual harassment has long been a contentious issue at City legal firms and Mr Bruce’s frank assessment could increase concerns.
Kennedys is part of an elite group of insurance law practices in the City, with 13 offices across the UK and 33 more in 20 countries. It employs nearly 3,000 people, with 363 partners.
Mr Bruce was ‘spitting feathers’ during the global conference call with the firm’s senior partners, an insider told industry paper RollOnFriday. Because of increased reports of sexual harassment and bulling, Mr Bruce will ‘now oversee the complaints process himself’, the source added.
A litany of similar incidents has plagued legal firms over the past decade. Reports of sexual misconduct reached an all-time high in the UK between 2023 and 2024.
Some 109 cases were reported in that period, a Freedom of Information request by the country’s biggest legal regulator, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), revealed – more than the previous four years combined.
The SRA’s 2022 report said: ‘sexual misconduct might not directly relate to an individual’s work as a lawyer or the work being done by a firm but have a connection to practice, their role, and their position in relation to the recipient of the behaviour.’
Senior partner of Kennedys law firm, John Bruce (pictured), was ‘spitting feathers’ on a global conference call after receiving reports for rising ‘allegations of both bullying and sexual harassment’ at senior levels in the company
Kennedys has its UK headquarters in the Walkie Talkie skyscraper in the city of London
Kennedys is one of the 25 highest earning law firms in the country – pulling in £428million in revenue between 2024 and 2025, a 13 per cent growth on the year before.
There have been several high-profile cases of sexual misconduct at global law firms. Former head of Baker McKenzie Gary Senior was fined £55,000 in 2020 by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for attempting to drunkenly kiss a junior college.
Regulators struggle to enforce sexual misconduct claims however, as Freshfields partner Ryan Beckwith overturned a £35,000 and a £200,000 court costs order after allegations he had sex with a junior lawyer while drunk. The High Court ruled this was ‘consensual’ sexual activity with a colleague.
The Daily Mail has contacted Kennedys for a comment.
