A male trainee solicitor has been barred from the profession after behaving inappropriately toward a female colleague on a night out.

According to a Solicitors Regulation Authority notice, James Chisholm attended an October 2022 social event organised by colleagues and paid for by his firm, Newcastle-based KK & Co. During the course of the evening, Chisholm engaged in conduct towards a female colleague that was ‘inappropriate and/or unwanted and/or sexually motivated’. He was found to have touched the colleague without consent, causing distress, and his behaviour left a lasting impact.

No further details were disclosed and the SRA notice does not state whether any mitigation was advanced.

Chisholm, from Redcar, worked at criminal specialist KK & Co from March 2021 to October 2023, but the SRA said it was now undesirable for him to be involved in a legal practice without its prior approval. He was ordered to pay a proportion of the SRA’s £1,350 costs and given a section 43 banning order.