A former Linklaters employee who kissed and groped a colleague after a staff social event has been barred from the profession.
Non-solicitor Vivek Ramsaroop, whose exact role was not specified by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, had been at the firm-organised dinner and drinks event in November 2023 and then joined a group going to a karaoke bar.
According to the SRA decision notice, Ramsaroop approached a colleague, stood close to her and said ‘you’re gorgeous’ and ‘you’re amazing’ before he put his arm around her waist and kissed the side of her face for several seconds.
Shortly afterwards he started dancing directly behind her, grabbed her waist with both hands and touched her bottom. He rubbed himself against the colleague on the dancefloor with his pelvis pressed against her.
The SRA said this conduct constituted serious sexual misconduct as it involved ‘physical contact and intentional actions which were repeated and which were directed at a junior colleague’.
Ramsaroop, according to the SRA whose last known address was in Johannesburg, South Africa, must not work for any firm in England and Wales without the written permission of the regulator. He was also ordered to pay a proportion of the SRA’s £1,350 costs.
In a statement, the firm said: 'This relates to an incident involving a former employee who had joined the firm a few weeks prior. We had reported the matter to the SRA and the individual left the firm with immediate effect.'
