A former legal director at London firm Kinglsey Napley has been suspended from practice for three years after he admitted to behaving inappropriately toward a junior colleague at a work social event.
Andrew Cane Solomon, admitted in September 2010, admitted the single allegation against him that whilst attending a work social he engaged in non-consensual physical contact with Person A, a trainee solicitor. The Solicitors Regulation Authority argued that Solomon’s conduct was sexually motivated.
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal was told Solomon was a legal director and designated trainee supervisor in Kingsley Napley’s corporate and commercial practice. Following the events in December 2023, he was dismissed by the firm and referred to the SRA.
Solomon was Person A’s trainee supervisor and both attended a Christmas event for employees in 2023. Following lunch, an escape room and then karaoke, attendees went to the bar area. While there, during two incidents, Solomon ‘repeatedly and without consent’ ran his hand down her side, touched her breast and bottom and put her hand on his erect penis, Delme Griffiths, for the SRA, said.
The SDT heard it was around 2am and only four people from the work social event remained. Person A was approached by Solomon at the bar who ‘had his arm around her waist and pulled her into him’.
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The SDT said the contact was ‘without [Person A’s] permission, was unwanted and was uninvited’.
In Person’s A statement she said Solomon was holding her ‘quite firmly’ and then told her 'you know I have a say in whether you get a job or not'. Solomon then ‘ran his hand up and down her side’, touched her right breast and then ran his hand down to her buttock. He repeated this ‘five or six’ times.
Griffiths added: ‘All touching took place over clothing. That led to Person A feeling panicked and distressed, in her words. Person B intervened and extracted Person A.’
Person A and B moved to a sofa area and Solomon and Person D joined them. When Person B went to the bathroom, Solomon took the place vacated next to Person A. ‘He immediately began to instigate physical contact,’ Griffiths said. ‘He started touching her left breast. He put his right hand on top of her left hand and locked fingers with her quite tightly.’ Solomon then moved Person A’s hand toward his crotch, ‘placing her hand on his penis’. Person A ‘snatched her hand away’ but Solomon repeated the action.
Griffiths, reading out part of Person A’s statement, said: ‘[It] made me feel violated. It was like all my autonomy had been stripped from me. I felt really upset and distressed. From the time he made a comment about having a say about me getting a job, I was careful of my reactions to him. I am so upset. Whenever I close my eyes I feel his hands on me.’
Geoffrey Williams KC, for Solomon, said: ‘Mr Solomon admits the allegations against him and he has done from the very outset. At every stage he has cooperated and admitted and his complete insight and his complete remorse. His admissions reflect insight. He offers wholehearted apology to Person A, to the profession and to this tribunal and he is thoroughly ashamed of his conduct on that evening.'
Williams told the court Solomon suffered an ‘alcoholic blackout’ during the evening in question. Readng Solomon's statement he said: ‘I am here today to take full responsibility for my actions the only way I can. I do that as to fully accept the consequences of those actions. I realise my actions caused harm and distress to Person A and for that I am both terribly sorry and…those actions are not representative of my character.’
After almost two hours of deliberation, the SDT suspended Solomon from practice for 36 months.
Chair Carolyn Evans said it was ‘possible to depart from the ultimate sanction of striking off’ as ‘the misconduct compromised of two incidents of sexually motivated touching’ which were ‘spontaneous and opportunistic in nature’. Solomon's conduct was isolated and 'out of character in an otherwise unblemished career'.
Solomon, whose 36-month suspension was ordered to commence on Thursday 12 November, was also ordered to pay £25,000 costs.
