Disciplinary proceedings against a magic circle partner involved in a high-profile NDA case will be heard in private if and when they go ahead, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has confirmed.

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has made privacy and anonymity directions in respect of the case involving Allen & Overy’s London partner Mark Mansell.

The order effectively means that the case will be dealt with in private, with these directions remaining in place until the proceedings are concluded. The case is not currently listed for a hearing, the Gazette understands. Mansell was referred to the SDT in April 2019.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority began proceedings over a non-disclosure agreement the firm drew up with a former employee of disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein. The former employee, Zelda Perkins, had told a hearing of the House of Commons women and equalities committee that the agreement settlement had been ‘morally lacking… on every level’.

It is now almost two years since the SRA warned that NDAs should not be used to stop victims reporting sexual misconduct. The same commons committee previously heard that lawyers involved in such agreements could be perverting the course of justice.

Perkins is reported to have described the delays to Mansell’s hearing as ‘frustrating’ and said that the lawyers involved with her NDA should be held accountable.

Allen & Overy has been approached for comment.

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