The Criminal Bar Association of New Zealand is absolutely committed to ensuring lawyers can carry out their professional obligations without being subject to harassment or bullying behaviour.

It is concerned at the number of young lawyers (particularly female) who leave the profession within the first 10 years of practice. There are anecdotal accounts of bullying and harassment experienced by young lawyers which are confirmed by the recent revelations of problems faced by summer clerks in a major law firm. The CBA seeks to understand the extent to which this occurs with a view to remedial action being put in place.

The first step of understanding the problem is a survey which is being sent to all CBA members to be completed by practitioners working in the criminal law. The results of the survey will determine what future action is required and the results will be published on the CBA website.

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