Has your firm ever fired a partner for being verbally or physically abusive?

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This one time a partner flipped out and destroyed a bathroom. They moved him to an internal firm development role.

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Yep. Rumor has it the last straw was when they physically threw something at an associate’s head. Immediately landed at another firm though so IDK what good it did.

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In my old firm, owned 50/50 by man and woman. Man kicked a trash can at her and then picked it up to hit her in the head but she got out of the office in time. Law firm split and she lost court case to resolve the partnership. He got to keep it all and spreads nasty lies about her and all of the attorneys that left with her (he was basically left with all staff and a couple of crappy attorneys). Also did not face criminal charges because it was “he said she said.”

But she has such a good personal brand in the industry that we started a new firm from scratch and do better than the old firm ever did.

The man regularly violates ethics rules and people are starting to see him for who he truly is. We tell ourselves its only a matter of time before he looses everything.

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A bankruptcy judge was gently pushed off the bench for beating his wife (it hit the papers), and he had a nice soft landing at a big shop.

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Woah that's crazy!

Yes, I'm aware of this happening once but with a NON-equity partner. Apparently anything goes for equity partners, especially rainmakers.

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Not in my experience. Funnily enough, way back when I was an associate at a very prestigious NYC firm (which I won’t mention here) a partner — they were all equity then — was fired and escorted out of the building for building his own client base, which angered the rest of the partnership. Apparently only “firm” clients there. He took some associates with him and appeared to land in his feet, though at a different firm. But that was a long time ago, and that was the rumor. Who knows what actually happened.

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Nope. Despite multiple complaints

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Verbal abuse. Over 20 years of complaints from partners, Counsel, and associates. Partner gets moved around because the firm doesn’t know what to do and no office wants to host anymore if they can help it.

An equity partner at my old firm told me that years ago, they had brought on a lateral equity partner, the partner was overall a terrible person and a screamer, but they got rid of him when he threw a coffee machine (think keurig) on the floor because it didn’t work. Apparently he got hired elsewhere quickly.

Yes. I worked at in Boston at a non-Boston-based firm and we had a VC partner who had thrown things, punched a wall, and the firm did a formal investigation (depos!!!) re a partner's anger/harassment/sexual harassment a few years before I joined. He was finally asked to leave after he was caught paying a copy/mailroom young lady from our "employing underprivileged youth" program for sex. His wife, who is very famous and accomplished in her own right, divorced him when she found out.

He transferred to another Boston firm that unwittingly hired him. The female associates firm the old firm sent the new firm's managing partner a flower arrangement that said, "Thanks for taking X off our hands." This of course sparked backchanneling and an investigation at new firm. He lasted there for exactly two years and is now in small law, which is probably better for the fee-structure of his practice anyway.

Utter sleazeball. And he wasn't even a good lawyer!!!

Yes. At my former firm, after a holiday party the partner and a secretary returned to the office, ostensibly to get their things. He apparently thought this would be a good time to grope her. She got away, locked herself in an office, he banged on the door—all caught on camera. He “left the firm” the next day.

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