Hebert Smith Freehills fired a longtime partner last week.
Not only is such a move unusual but the firm moved fast. Within days of launching an investigation into what was described as a “deeply offensive” tweet by the Australian partner directed at a prominent Jewish lawyer at another firm, HSF’s leadership voted to remove him from its partnership.
Law firms have to do a lot of balancing to be successful. They are like tightrope walkers moving from point A to point B, hoping they make sound decisions and don’t lose their footing. At the same time, every partner has a responsibility to the firm partnership, to associates, and of course, to clients, to ensure they uphold—or at least do no damage—to the reputation of the firm. They also share responsibility for the firm's financial health and are expected to contribute to the firm's growth and success while maintaining high ethical standards.
That’s where the HSF partner, Damien Hazard, went wrong. He failed to fulfill his obligation as a partner. He demonstrated deafness to what was going on around him, both in Australia and in his firm. And he showed a staggering lack of judgment, a quality expected of any law firm partner.
