A former managing associate at US firm Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe (UK) LLP behaved inappropriately towards a colleague when he touched her in a taxi, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has heard.
Lewis Brady is alleged to have acted towards two women, who are anonymous, in a manner which was unwanted and/or inappropriate and/or sexually motivated.
Brady, admitted in March 2017, denies both allegations. At the time of the allegations the 32-year-old was a managing associate at Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe. He does not hold a current practising certificate.
The tribunal heard that Brady is alleged to have touched Person A, a paralegal, on five occasions during work night outs and social events. The Solicitors Regulation Authority alleges that Brady grabbed Person A’s bottom, grabbed her left breast, during one night out, put his hand on her right thigh on another occasion and put his hand on her bottom on two other different occasions.
On another occasion following a ‘Christmas curry night’, a small group returned to Person B’s home where while watching a film, Brady rubbed Person A’s thigh over her clothing and then later, at his flat had touched Person A underneath her clothes.
Brady is alleged to have touched Person B, who at the time was a managing associate at the firm, during a night out when the pair were dancing and his hand touched her bottom. Later that same night, as they shared a taxi home, Brady is alleged to have touched Person B’s breast. He is also alleged to have attempted to kiss Person B and she pushed him away.
Brady denies all the allegations. In his written response he said ‘the matters complained of have insufficient nexus to his practise as a solicitor’ adding that ‘the matters complained of did not take place in a work setting, and he was not in a supervisory position or effectively senior role to either complainant’.
‘Furthermore, the respondent had a reasonable belief that Person A and Person B were consenting in relation to any touching that occurred. Therefore, and on proper analysis, it cannot be said that the matters relate to his practice as a solicitor, or that he abused his professional position as a solicitor.’
Giving evidence today, Person B described what happened in the taxi as ‘traumatic’. She said: ‘I did not want it to be true. Life would have been much easier for me since then if it had not been true but it is true.’
She told the tribunal she ‘did not know how to get over it’, adding: ‘Unfortunately I have had this kind of thing happen to me a number of times but never with somebody I was this close to, someone I was this comfortable with.’
Person B told the tribunal she and Brady had been friends, and she had never considered their relationship anything other than platonic.
She said: ‘I never at the time understood [it to be] anything other than that we were good friends. Any under clothes touching is not appropriate.’
The hearing, which is listed for the rest of the week, continues.
