Magic Circle law firm Linklaters bans partner from drinking after he was accused of ‘touching a female colleague’s bottom’ during a Vienna business trip

A partner from the Magic Circle law firm Linklaters has been banned from drinking after he was accused of ‘touching a female colleague’s bottom’ during a Vienna business trip.

He is understood to be on his final warning with the elite City institution after he was also accused of making inappropriate comments to another female associate during the trip.

The partner is accused of asking the woman whether she would be going up to the room of another male partner, who was allegedly present during the evening drinks, and making other remarks about coming up to her room himself.

Linklaters is understood to have restricted the partner from drinking at work events and work socials after launching an investigation into the incident.

The firm was founded in 1838 and is a member of London‘s Magic Circle, a group of Britain’s most prestigious law firms.

The company sent an internal email to employees after being contacted by The Telegraph about the alleged incident, confirming to staff that the firm’s leadership team had been made aware of the allegations and had taken appropriate action following a thorough investigation.

According to an insider, employees were also reminded by the firm of their professional obligations and warned them against engaging with the media about the issue.

A spokesman for Linklaters said: ‘We expect the highest standards of behaviour from our people, consistent with our values.

‘We always take concerns about conduct extremely seriously and where concerns are raised, we investigate them fully and promptly and take the action we determine appropriate in the circumstances.’

The Solicitors Regulation Authority, which oversees the conduct of 125,000 lawyers across England and Wales, declined to comment on whether it is investigating the allegations.

The allegations come as law firms continue to battle a series of sexual assault and harassment scandals linked to the profession’s heavy drinking culture.

To ensure its lawyers remain professional at social events, Linklaters introduced a sober supervisor scheme in 2020 which employs 5,600 workers across 31 offices.

Partners, directors and business leaders are recommended to give a senior staff member a non-drinking role to ensure the ‘smooth running’ of work dos, including its Christmas parties.

Linklaters has been forced to address allegations of sexual misconduct on more than one occasion.

In 2021, its former head of technology was accused of sexual harassment by a former paralegal who claimed the senior staff member grabbed her buttocks in dim sum tea house Yauatcha.

An employment tribunal found that all the allegations were false and Linklaters and its tech boss were cleared of all wrongdoing.

In 2019, Frank Mellish threatened to leak material about what he called ‘the ongoing struggle Linklaters has with women in the workplace’. However, the firm won an injunction against its former business development and marketing director to prevent this from happening.

Mr Mellish, who previously sat on Linklaters’ executive committee, told partners he would share confidential information with the media about alleged settlements reached in Munich, London and New York.

But the executive’s threat was partly motivated by his unhappiness at having his role terminated after just 12 months in the job, the High Court ruled.

A former Germany-based tax partner was sentenced by a Munich court to three years in prison after sexually assaulting a female intern after the firm’s Oktoberfest party in September 2014, leading Linklaters to request a gagging order.

The partner resigned in November 2014 following the incident.

Linklaters paid its equity partners on average £1.9m each last year, after breaking through the £2bn revenue barrier for the first time in its history.