Surrey lawyer fired for sexual harassment, says the Law Society of BC

A British Columbia lawyer has resigned from the province’s law society after sexually harassing staff at his law firm, including trying to secretly photograph one of his employees without her knowledge, according to a regulator.

Surrey lawyer Stuart J. Zukerman pleaded guilty to misconduct in an agreement reached with the Law Society of BC in August. A summary of the settlement released Tuesday details decades of sexual harassment by a lawyer in his Zukerman Law Group.

“Zukerman created, promoted or encouraged a highly sexual, intimidating, hostile and/or offensive work environment at his firm,” the law society said in a statement.

“His inappropriate behavior included non-consensual touching, making sexual comments, engaging in unwanted romantic and/or sexual advances, and taking or attempting to take hidden photographs and videos without the individual’s consent.”

“Numerous incidents of harassment”

The investigation into Zukerman’s conduct was launched after a lawyer who previously worked at his firm filed a complaint with the public, leading investigators to uncover “numerous incidents of sexual harassment,” according to a summary of the deal.

The summary states that the harassment of one employee lasted from October 2000 to May 2023, during which Zukerman touched her, made sexual comments and made unwelcome romantic and sexual advances towards her.

The summary shows that Zukerman admitted that he touched the employee’s buttocks while she was standing on a ladder to paint the office.

He later wrote her a letter detailing his romantic feelings for her and asking whether, as agreed, she would “consider leaving the family and entering into a formal relationship with him.”

Zukerman “knew or should have known” that his conduct was unwelcome and “likely to create an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment that would adversely affect those employed by his company,” the summary said.

Women are leaving law firms

The summary shows that the lawyer admitted to sexually harassing another employee over a five-year period, from January 2018 to May 2023.

During this time, Zukerman “sneakily took photos of her cleavage without her knowledge,” made comments and made unwanted sexual advances, and “attempted to surreptitiously record a video under her dress in the office without her knowledge,” the summary said.

When the woman caught Zukerman trying to record the video, she “was distraught,” the summary said, adding that she left the office that afternoon and never returned.

The summary states that the three women ultimately left their jobs at the law firm in response to the incident.

Zukerman, who has been practicing in BC since 1989, will resign from the law society at the end of November.

Under the terms of his resignation, Zukerman is barred from practicing law in British Columbia for five years, during which time he cannot seek reinstatement from any Canadian law society.

According to the regulator, Zukerman dealt primarily with family law and also provides services as a mediator. In 2011, he founded the Zukerman Law Group.