Ex-Bird & Bird partner agrees to UK ban for sexually inappropriate conduct
By Sam Tobin
LONDON, Aug 20 (Reuters) -A former partner at international law firm Bird & Bird has agreed to a legal practice ban in England after admitting he abused his position of seniority over a junior colleague by sending her sexualised WhatsApp messages.
Takeshige Sugimoto admitted to behaving inappropriately to a female consultant in early 2019, including by saying he loved her and repeatedly trying to meet her outside work hours.
The 42-year-old data protection specialist, who was a partner in Bird & Bird's Brussels office, reached an agreement with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) on Monday, the details of which were made public on Tuesday.
Sugimoto accepted that his behaviour towards the woman – who was referred to only as Person B – amounted to professional misconduct and was an abuse of his position.
A document setting out his agreement with the SRA stated that Sugimoto sent Person B nearly 1,000 WhatsApp messages in a period of just over two months, including 91 on a single day.
The agreement also stated that Sugimoto "touched her inappropriately including by taking her hand and trying to hug her".
Sugimoto agreed to an order preventing him from being employed or remunerated as a lawyer in England and Wales without the SRA's permission for a period of five years.
Sugimoto was removed as a partner by Bird & Bird shortly after an internal investigation into Person B's allegations and has since founded his own boutique law firm based in Japan, which is not regulated by the SRA.
Bird & Bird did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
"It is accepted that Mr Sugimoto pursued a consensual relationship with a work colleague at a time immediately following the death of his father and separation from his family, whilst dealing with grief and depression," his lawyer said in a statement.
"He now acknowledges this attempt was not appropriate, given the power imbalance between them."
Reporting by Sam Tobin
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