Doesn’t recall incidents
A senior male partner has been suspended from practice for 12 months after making sexual comments to four female colleagues at a firm Christmas party.
Timothy Eagle qualified in 1983 and was the senior partner of Hansells Solicitors in Norwich at the time of the misconduct.
According to the published judgement, the firm hosted a Christmas lunch on the 23 December 2022 before a number of staff returned to the office to continue the celebrations. After returning, Eagle proceeded to make a number of unwanted sexual comments and advances towards four separate women, all of whom he held a senior position over at the firm.
In the office kitchen, Eagle told Person A, described in the judgment as “young”, “you are just so sexy” and “if I was 20 years younger, I would like to fuck you right now.” He also placed his hand on her waist whilst standing closely to her.
Person B also went to the kitchen area, where Eagle approached her and said “your shoulders look lovely, I’d love to kiss them.” When Person B told him she would rather he did not, Eagle kissed her bare right shoulder anyway. After she told him to stop and said she did not like it, Eagle responded: “I don’t believe you every woman likes being kissed.” When Person B said his behaviour was making her uncomfortable, Eagle is said to have called her “a fucking bitch”, and telling her to “fuck off.”
Eagle then told Person C, whose dress met in the middle of her thighs, “that dress is easy access,” whilst gesturing with two fingers towards that part of her dress. Person C stepped away and advised Eagle to go home, noting he was “significantly intoxicated”.
Later that same evening, Eagle told Person D that he “would really love to fuck” a another colleague.
A colleague was forced to call Eagle’s partner to collect him from the office because of how drunk he was, according to the ruling.
Eagle apologised to each of the four women in the days that followed, claiming that he couldn’t recall the incidents.
Eagle self-reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) on 13 January 2023 and resigned from the firm before of the conclusion of its internal disciplinary proceedings.
At the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) hearing last month, Eagle admitted all four allegations and accepted breaches of the SRA’s principles.
However, the solicitor denied that his conduct amounted to a lack of integrity and refused to accept that his comment to Person C about “easy access” was sexually motivated. He claimed instead it had been made as a joke between colleagues who had a “rude and jokey” relationship.
Eagle pointed to a serious illness as justification for mitigating circumstances, including liver surgery which had left him unable to work for almost a year. He argued that his meant he had reacted unusually to alcohol. A character witness described his conduct as “a shock to everyone he knew” and “totally out of character”.
The tribunal rejected Eagle’s argument that his actions were involuntary. It found that, by advancing this position, Eagle “failed to take full responsibility” for his conduct. In reaching that conclusion, the tribunal relied on evidence that he had interacted coherently with colleagues throughout the evening and had adjusted his behaviour when challenged, most notably by stopping his conduct towards Person B after she protested.
The tribunal also concluded that Eagle’s behaviour towards Person C was “in no doubt” sexually motivated. It stated that the use of phrase ‘easy access’ “implied that he might be able or wish to go inside it” and that it was “hard to see what the motivation for this suggestion might be if it were not sexual”.
Eagle told the tribunal he did not intend to return to practising as a solicitor but said the decision could affect his ability to continue working as a notary and to survive financially.
Eagle was suspended from practice for 12 months and ordered to pay costs of £30,000.