Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal sees “steady increase” in sexual misconduct cases following #MeToo movement
updated on 26 November 2018
The rise in sexual misconduct cases means that the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has had to increase its budget and projected workload for 2019.
As Legal Futures reports, the SDT expects hearing days to increase from 300 this year to over 400 in 2019, necessitating a budget increase of almost 11%. Paul Philip, chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority, said that greater awareness and public discussion of harassment has led to a “steady increase” in the number of incidents involving sexual misconduct being reported.
The increase in the number of sexual misconduct cases being reported is of course concerning, but it also shows that more people feel willing and able to report inappropriate behaviour and have it addressed following the #MeToo campaign and the controversy over powerful individuals’ and firms’ use of non-disclosure agreements.
