A former partner and manager at national firm Capsticks has agreed to his removal from the roll after admitting to making inappropriate sexual advances to a junior colleague.
Ronald Stephen Simms, admitted in 1991, agreed to leave the profession after he accepted that his conduct was capable of being interpreted as harassment.
Simms and a woman referred to as colleague A joined Capsticks’ Leeds office in 2014. At some point later, the Solicitors Regulation Authority said, Simms began to exchange messages with her on their personal mobile phones, some of which were deemed inappropriate.
In 2017, while driving back from a work meeting as a passenger while colleague A drove, Simms placed his hand on her thigh and made a comment to the effect of ‘ooh give me a moment’. At a team meeting two months later, just before she went on maternity leave, Simms made an inappropriate comment referring to her sex life, her becoming pregnant and her taking leave.
Colleague A initially told the firm about the messages and incident in the car in December 2018, and Capsticks reported the matter to the SRA four months later. Almost a year ago, the regulator resolved that proceedings should be taken to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, but that decision was rescinded following Simms’ agreement to leave the roll.
He accepted sending inappropriate and at times unwanted messages to colleague A, of whom he was line manager, that could be interpreted as sexual in nature. He also admitted touching her thigh without her consent and making a comment about her sex life and pregnancy in front of a number of colleagues.
He apologised to the firm, his colleague and the SRA and expressed regret and remorse about his actions.
Simms must remove himself from the roll within a month and cannot seek to reapply for at least three years. He also agreed to pay costs of £13,000.
