Jasvinder Gill, a senior partner at Hatten Wyatt in Kent, England, has been suspended from the legal profession for two years following a ruling by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. The tribunal found that Gill “used his position of influence and authority in the workplace to create situations in which office relationships, sexual in intent, were initiated and pursued by him.” Alongside suspension, Gill has been ordered to pay £85,501 in costs.
The tribunal concluded that Gill’s conduct placed junior staff in an “unsettling dilemma,” where they felt that refusing his advances might jeopardize their job security. Instances presented at the tribunal included Gill kissing a staff member in his office, making inappropriate physical gestures such as stroking her hair and giving shoulder massages, and instructing her on “proper office attire,” which he described as “open-toed shoes, stockings, and short skirts.”
Another incident involved Gill inviting a junior employee to his hotel room after a work event where he changed into “loungewear” and shared a pizza with her. Additionally, he was found to have engaged in a consensual sexual relationship with a junior lawyer at the firm, with the encounters occurring in his office.
The tribunal’s findings emphasize that Gill’s actions were inexorably linked to his professional role and workplace environment. He acknowledged the inherent power imbalance that may have deterred junior staff from rejecting his advances or requests. For further details on the tribunal’s findings, you can read more in the RollOnFriday coverage.
For the full report, refer to the original article on Above the Law.