New rules for lawyers 'a game-changer'

An employment lawyer hopes proposed new rules in the legal sector will be a game-changer for a profession under fire. A report by a working group chaired by Dame Silvia Cartwright has found professional codes aren't effective for dealing with complaints about sexual violence, harassment, discrimination and bullying. That report was commissioned by the Law Society, in the aftermath of the sexual assault and bullying claims that rocked the sector this year. Steph Dyhrberg is the convenor of the Wellington Women Lawyers Association. She told social issues reporter Sarah Robson that the legal industry doesn't yet have a professional code of ethics that explicitly sets expectations for tackling sexual harassment and bullying.