What can law firm leaders do to build a culture that does not tolerate sexual harassment? In Gina Rubel’s latest Mid-Market report article, she asked lawyers, firm executives and advocates to share their advice. While having policies and procedures in place to handle allegations of sexual harassment is necessary, leaders who say that prevention is better than cure offer guidance on creating a culture that does not tolerate harassment in the first place.
- Joshua Zuckerberg, partner in the labor and employment group at the New York firm of Pryor Cashman, addresses the need for training decision-makers at a firm need to go beyond the training mandated by city and state human rights laws.
- Jennifer F. Kogos, partner in the labor and employment group at Jones Walker explains that law firms must provide thorough training to the firm’s executive leadership which creates buy-in and clearly communicates the importance of the effort to the rest of the firm.
- Katie Koestner, executive director of Take Back the Night Foundation, which hosts the national sexual assault legal hotline 567-SHATTER explains that a crucial part of executive and HR training must help law firm leaders understand how to identify situations that can be mitigated through negotiation and discussion between the parties versus incidents that rise to the level of legal intervention.
Read the full article, How To Build a Law Firm Culture That Does Not Tolerate Sexual Harassment. Subscription required.
In Part I, Gina addressed How to Handle Sexual Harassment Allegations at a Law Firm. Subscription required.
Gina Rubel is the author of the book, Everyday Public Relations for Lawyers, 2nd Edition. An attorney and publicist, she leads Furia Rubel Communications in the support of law firm growth, crisis planning and incident response, and reputation management through integrated legal marketing, public relations, and strategic planning. Contact her at gina@furiarubel.com or @GinaRubel.