A top City law firm is marred by a ‘seedy culture’ amid rampant claims of sexual harassment and employees getting ‘touchy-feely’ with clients, an insider has said.
Some perpetrators at Kennedys law firm seem to be ‘untouchable’ as the source told the Daily Mail of a two-tier discipline system that appears to favour those in top positions.
Senior partner John Bruce was forced to address rising levels of ‘allegations of both bullying and sexual harassment’ to the company’s global partners in an embarrassing virtual conference last month.
An ‘undercurrent’ of toxic work culture has been a ‘great and long-standing issue’ at the firm and has recently spilled over from being between colleagues to involving clients as well, the source said.
Some employees have been ‘exited’ in the past after complaints of their conduct were made to HR, though some allegations are ‘swept under the rug’, the insider added. It has meant some ‘powerful’ women have recently had to quit the company due to its alleged culture, claimed the source.
They told of a business social meetup with influential clients two months ago, when drunken Kennedys employees ended up getting ‘touchy feely’ with the clients.
The source said: ‘Things started happening, tongues started wagging because quite a lot of alcohol was consumed at this gathering.
‘Individuals started to become quite touchy-feely with clients who became very uncomfortable. They raised it there and then but then subsequently raised it after the party.’
Senior partner of Kennedys law firm, John Bruce (pictured), was forced to admit there were rising levels of ‘allegations of both bullying and sexual harassment’ at senior levels in the company in an embarrassing worldwide partner call
Kennedys has its UK headquarters in the Walkie Talkie skyscraper in the city of London
This particular incident was brought up by Mr Bruce in the worldwide partner call, prompting him to say the company needed to ‘stamp out alcohol-themed get-togethers’ and bring about a ‘change in culture’ after two clients reported problems, the insider said.
Kennedys is part of an elite group of insurance law practices in the City of London, with 13 offices across the UK and 33 more in 20 countries. It employs nearly 3,000 people, with 363 partners.
Similar problems arose at another alcohol fueled business meetup after a construction event in Hong Kong celebrating the office’s 25th anniversary in Autumn last year, the source revealed.
‘Again, a lot of alcohol was drunk and other partners were feeling quite emboldened to behave in a certain way because of being intoxicated,’ they said.
Another older senior partner was also allegedly heard making sexual comments to colleagues about a younger employee in her 20s, the source said.
The firm 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.
Mr Bruce was said to be ‘spitting feathers’ during the global call but previously asserted that he would ‘now oversee the complaints process himself’, a source previously told RollOnFriday.
However, the Human Resources (HR) discipline at the company still leaves a lot to be desired, as the insider told the Mail ‘We don’t have competent people’ dealing with allegations.
The source said there were two tiers of partnership at the firm: Tier A and Tier B.
They continued: ‘There are historic issues with other partners being swept under the rug because of this two-tier partnership.
‘If you’re Tier A and you’re seen to be some kind of rainmaker, or someone who’s valued by certain clients historically, then you’re almost untouchable.
‘They’ll try and skirt around the issue or have a very discreet word with them and allow them to go on their way because we’re a firm – we’re trying to be profitable.’
They said that of those who had been ‘exited’ in the past, reports made to HR ‘initially weren’t dealt with as many would expect. But then, when the noise got louder, a decision was taken to offload particular individuals.’
To rectify the situation, the insider called for an ‘external body’ to be called in to investigate claims, rather than internal enquiries, which they said amounts to ‘marking our own homework’.
The law industry has long been haunted by a culture of sexual misconduct and the source claims that the close ties Kennedys has with the insurance world make it a particular problem for them.
‘The insurance sector, with brokers and agents in the Square Mile, is well documented [for sexual misconduct], going back to the 80s. And it’s been very hard to let go of that culture,’ they said.
Some women who worked at Kennedys could no longer take it, with the source adding that ‘a lot of high-profile, powerful, strong women have left the firm over the past 24 months, or 36 months’.
Outside of Kennedys, there have been several high-profile sexual misconduct scandals in the law industry.
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 colleague.
Regulators struggle to enforce sexual misconduct claims however, as Freshfields partner Ryan Beckwith overturned a £35,000 fine 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 and warned against the regulation of private lives.
The source added: ‘When the conduct and behaviours start to seep out of the four walls of the firm, then we’ve got an issue, because we are then exposing ourselves to lots of work, claims, reputational harm, and this now has to stop.’
Mr Bruce told the Daily Mail: ‘I cannot comment on unknown and unspecified allegations. 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.
‘This applies to all Kennedys personnel, irrespective of seniority and regardless of partner status. Kennedys is focused on maintaining a respectful and high-performing culture across the firm, with clear expectations around behaviour and accountability from all our 341 partners and 3,000 staff.
‘Like most large organisations, disappointingly issues can arise. Where standards fall short, I am personally committed to addressing them head on as I did with our global partnership.
‘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.
‘As a key part of that commitment, in September 2024 we launched our Speak Up reporting channel allowing any member of staff to report any concerns anonymously and confidentially.’
