Home Australia Real-life ‘Rake’ lawyer Charles Waterstreet learns his fate over sexual misconduct claims

Real-life ‘Rake’ lawyer Charles Waterstreet learns his fate over sexual misconduct claims

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Charles Waterstreet has been banned from practicing law for a year after he was found to have sexually harassed three members of his staff.

A high-profile lawyer who became the inspiration for Lothario TV’s Lawyer Rake will spend the next year reflecting on his indiscretions as he endures a ban from practicing law for sexual misconduct.

In April it was discovered that Charles Waterstreet had sexually harassed three female staff members.

On Wednesday, the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruled The 75-year-old would only be able to reapply for his certificate to practice law after one year.

The court previously found that complaints made against Waterstreet by the three much younger women between 2014 and 2019 constituted sexual harassment.

The incidents included showing naked images of himself to a female employee, making sexually explicit comments and publicly viewing pornography while at work.

He was found to have harassed one of the women, who worked for him as an administrative assistant when she was 24, on multiple occasions.

In one case, Mr. Waterstreet made comments to the young woman about a client’s female partner, saying words such as “I want to rub her all over.”

Like his on-screen counterpart, played by actor Richard Roxburgh, the former criminal lawyer became widely known for his eccentric and sometimes chaotic approach to the legal profession.

Charles Waterstreet has been banned from practicing law for a year after he was found to have sexually harassed three members of his staff.

High profile was the inspiration for TV lawyer Cleaver Greene in 'Rake', played by Richard Roxburgh.

High profile was the inspiration for TV lawyer Cleaver Greene in ‘Rake’, played by Richard Roxburgh.

Waterstreet told the court that a diagnosis of bipolar disorder in 2022 had helped him understand what was driving some of the behavior and how it had become inappropriate.

In a sworn statement to the court, the lawyer said he previously did not understand that what he considered jokes could not be taken as jokes by others.

“I feel uncomfortable and embarrassed by the rudeness and unrestrained nature of my conduct,” Mr. Waterstreet said.

‘I didn’t understand sexual harassment. I thought it was subjective and that intention played a role.

Evidence presented in court included an excerpt from a December 2023 episode of The Stick Up podcast in which Waterstreet described himself as “politically incorrect.”

“I got in trouble for, you know, errors of language,” the lawyer told podcast host Russell Manser.

The incidents included showing naked images of himself to a female employee, making sexually explicit comments and publicly viewing pornography while at work.

The incidents included showing naked images of himself to a female employee, making sexually explicit comments and publicly viewing pornography while at work.

The court found that Mr Waterstreet’s comments outside the formal proceedings suggested he still had some way to go before fully accepting responsibility for his actions.

“Understanding is the first step,” the three members of the court wrote.

“The next step is for you to change your behavior.”

Waterstreet was also questioned in court about a section of his website that listed him as “on sabbatical” from the practice of law.

When asked about his use of the term, he accepted that it could be potentially misleading.

“It’s a way to express a very uncomfortable experience…without saying ‘I’ve been cancelled,'” Waterstreet said.

Despite his public profile, the lawyer was forced to file for bankruptcy in 2018 after receiving a bill for unpaid taxes totaling more than $420,000.

During court hearings he revealed that he had been living for a time in a backpacker hostel but had since moved into his own apartment.

Mr Waterstreet was ordered to pay the costs of the Law Society of New South Wales in bringing the proceedings.

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