Most attorneys should understand the components of laws surrounding discrimination. However, there are still a few issues with sexual harassment that involve attorneys and their clients or even the people who work in the office. If you work for an attorney and have experienced any kind of sexual harassment while in the office, then it’s important to seek the assistance of an attorney who can help you file a claim against the one who is responsible for making you uncomfortable while working. You might feel uneasy about consulting with someone else in the office where you work because you’re afraid that you might lose your job or are afraid that your employer will file a claim against you for your participation in the harassment.
Even in a law firm, there are various components surrounding sexual harassment that could occur at any time. These include any kind of inappropriate touching while you’re working with an attorney, jokes that are made in the office about someone’s gender or about a sexual incident, gestures that indicate an unwanted sexual act, or threats of being fired or demoted if you don’t perform sexual acts for the attorney. Sometimes, rape can occur in the office. Although this is an act that is rare, it does happen, especially if there are few attorneys and workers in the same office as it can be easier for this to happen when two people are alone together in the workplace.
Quid pro quo sexual harassment in a law firm involves an attorney trying to offer some kind of exchange of benefits for the employee if the employee takes part in sexual acts. You might be offered a raise by your employer if you were to engage in oral sex, which is an example of this type of harassment.
A hostile workplace is another kind of harassment that could occur in a law firm. When the actions of the employer become so uncomfortable or so invasive that they create an environment in the office where you don’t want to work, then this is a form of harassment. It’s one that is more common than many people know about as it’s usually not thought of as a type of harassment. One or two statements or gestures isn’t enough for grounds of a hostile environment, but if those actions continue for several weeks or months then you would likely be able to consult with an attorney in order to file a claim against your employer. Each incident needs to be written down, and each form of communication that you receive needs to be saved so that it can be presented to the court as proof that this kind of harassment has been taking place. Otherwise, it will usually be your word against that of your employer.
Sometimes, attorneys might have a drink or two while they are working with other attorneys in the office or even paralegals and office staff. Drinking can sometimes lead to sexual harassment that occurs in the office as the attorneys might not realize what they are doing or saying in the workplace. This usually occurs when men make remarks or gestures toward women in the office. If the harassment continues, then the amount of drinking can sometimes continue as well, especially if there is a desire to fulfill a need. Sometimes, the victim might consume alcohol as well, resulting in it being difficult for a claim to be filed because the attorney could state that the victim didn’t have to drink or that the victim participated because of being intoxicated as well. Your attorney can help with gathering the evidence needed in order to bring the attorney at the law firm to justice while receiving any damages that should be awarded as a result of the harassment.
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