The IBA report is the largest-ever global survey of bullying and sexual harassment in the legal profession. Australia provided the highest number of respondents, accounting for 937 or 13 per cent of the 6980 responses from 135 countries. The association said the relatively high rates of reported bullying and harassment in Australia may be evidence of "a 'perception paradox', whereby jurisdictions typically viewed as 'progressive' in addressing issues of bullying and sexual harassment have higher reported rates of such conduct than elsewhere". This did not mean the higher figures in "absolute or objective" terms were inaccurate, but there may be under-reporting in some countries due to a "disparity between perception and reality". Australia's Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins is leading a world-first inquiry into sexual harassment in the workplace, which is due to report in the second half of the year.

Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard, the inaugural chair of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London, said in a foreword to the IBA report that it was "a clarion call for urgent action". "As the #MeToo movement has shown, women are no longer prepared to be silent. The demands for deep-seated reform are insistent and determined," Ms Gillard said. "After all this activity, the world cannot lapse back into shameful silence." Former prime minister Julia Gillard said the IBA report was a "clarion call for urgent action". Credit:AP The legal profession had a "special, indeed privileged role, in advocating for and ushering in change", Ms Gillard said, but the profession could "only step up to this role with integrity if it makes sure its own house is in order". Kieran Pender, legal advisor to the IBA's policy and research unit, led the project. He said the association's "research found that targets of bullying and sexual harassment very rarely report the misconduct to their workplaces or regulators", because of "the status of the perpetrator, fear of

repercussions and because the incidents are often endemic to the workplace".

The IBA found 57 per cent of bullying cases and 75 per cent of sexual harassment cases worldwide were not reported. Loading The majority of respondents to the global survey worked in law firms (73 per cent), followed by corporations and organisations (9 per cent), barristers' chambers (6 per cent) and government (5 per cent). Lawyers aged under 40 accounted for 53 per cent of respondents. The IBA selected nine "case study" jurisdictions, including the UK, US, Costa Rica, Brazil, Sweden and Australia, to illustrate the findings in its report. Of those jurisdictions, Costa Rica reported the highest rates of harassment and bullying (34.8 per cent 65.7 per cent, respectively). Australia ranked third for sexual harassment, at 29.6 per cent of respondents – behind the US on 32.6 per cent – and second for bullying, at 61.4 per cent of respondents.

One victim of sexual harassment in an Australian law firm told the IBA she "did not report the incident for some time because I did not have faith in the firm to address the issue". "There were always rumours that people in a position of power would not be held accountable for their actions," she said. "However, once I finally reported the incident, it was dealt with swiftly and my anonymity was protected." Loading Peter Paradise, a former partner in the Sydney office of global law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, was dismissed from the firm last year after it conducted an internal investigation into allegations made against him by three women. The IBA made 10 recommendations for change, including improving avenues for reporting bullying and harassment, engaging with younger members of the profession, gathering data and improving transparency, and maintaining the momentum for change.