Lawyer also censured, ordered to pay emotional harm compensation
An Auckland lawyer has been suspended from practise for three months after the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal found that he engaged in years of misconduct by exposing female staff to pornography that he watched in the workplace.
The practitioner, identified only as Mr H, admitted a charge of misconduct arising from his conduct as a sole practise employer.
The Tribunal found that since 2016, Mr H watched pornography on his office computer in a way that meant staff would see the sexualised material when they entered his office.
Although he would quickly close the material when staff appeared, the Tribunal said they were "confronted with snippets and were acutely aware of his interest in sexualised objectification of women."
"Consequently, they felt horror, shock, disgust, discomfort, embarrassment, and shame," the decision states. "Their work environment was thus rendered toxic and emotionally unsafe."
A junior staff member finally raised concerns with a senior employee in November 2022, leading to a direct confrontation with Mr H.
He told staff he had an addiction to viewing the material, promised to block access and seek help, but within about two months he had relapsed and staff were again exposed.
In January 2023, when confronted about a further incident, he denied it, only admitting the behaviour after another staff member complained in February.
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