A law firm boss who regularly harassed a young colleague and said it was better to talk to her than have sex has been banned from the profession for five years.

Takeshige Sugimoto, a partner at the firm, was fired after sending nearly 1,000 messages over two months to the young legal consultant as he desperately tried to persuade her to begin a romantic relationship.

A Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) heard the barrister bombarded her with inappropriate messages and declared his “love” for her.

This included telling the junior employee late at night via WhatsApp: “Meeting you is a much greater pleasure for me than having sex with anyone. »

Although she repeatedly told him she wasn’t interested, he told her he was falling in love with her just days after she started working at the company, and told her then asked, “You don’t like me sleeping with other girls?” ‘.

Takeshige Sugimoto (pictured) was fired after sending almost 1,000 messages over two months to the junior legal consultant as he desperately tried to persuade her to start a romantic relationship.

He is now banned from practicing law in the UK for five years and ordered to pay costs of £36,000 after the court found he “used the power imbalance created by her seniority to take advantage of her.

The hearing was told that Mr Sugimoto started working as a manager and partner at Bird and Bird in the UK and Belgium, based in the Brussels branch, on June 14, 2018.

The junior consultant – identified only as Person B – began working for the company the following year.

Mr. Sugimoto invited her to dinner on her first day, which he said was a tradition for newcomers, and asked her if she had a boyfriend.

He then insisted on walking her home, even though she had repeatedly told him that she preferred to walk alone, and he took her hand which she withdrew.

Over the next two months, he continued to engage in inappropriate behavior, including hosting work meetings in which he discussed personal matters with her, sometimes several times a day.

The court heard Mr Sugimoto’s conduct had a “profound” effect on her.

He sent her 989 messages between January 22 and March 27, 2019, including one saying “I’m literally falling in love with you” just five days after she started work.

On February 1, 2019, he sent her Whatsapp messages at 11 p.m., including: “I can tell you that spending time with you is the happiest time for me in my 37 years of life.”

He added: “My existence tells me that you are the person I have been looking for.”

The hearing was told that Mr Sugimoto started work as a manager and partner at Bird and Bird in the UK and Belgium, based in the Brussels branch (pictured), on June 14, 2018.

Other message exchanges show him waiting outside her house and begging to accompany her when she went shopping – “I will act like a shadow that won’t stop you,” he messaged, then the word “Please”.

He sent her a Whatsapp message on March 16, 2019 that read: “You don’t like me having sex with other girls? ‘Do you see me having sex with other girls as an indication that I don’t have serious feelings towards you?’

She replied: “I don’t form an opinion on who other people have sex with :)”

The junior employee did not complain about Sugimoto’s behavior while this was happening because he was a partner in the firm, the panel heard.

Bird and Bird LLP Belgium conducted an internal investigation into Sugimoto’s behavior in May 2019 after concerns were raised about his behavior.

Sugimoto admitted in court that he was seeking a romantic relationship with the woman, who later left the company.

The court said in its conclusion: “Mr. Sugimoto’s level of culpability was high; he was an experienced lawyer who, at the time of the misconduct, was a partner in the firm.

“He was in a position of authority and influence and used the power imbalance created by his seniority to take advantage of a younger consultant.”

Sugimoto was ordered to pay £36,000 to cover the solicitors regulator’s application and investigation costs, and he cannot work as a solicitor in Britain for the next five years.

He now works for a law firm in Japan.