Bullying and harassment goes far beyond mere pressure of work. Every one of us entering the profession expects to work hard, and most of us do. There is an enormous amount of knowledge we need in order to be effective solicitors, and comparatively little of it can be communicated through taught courses before starting the job. We will, therefore, ask questions, and we will make mistakes. We need training.
Most firms provide excellent training.
My firm does. There does, however, appear to be a large number of partners and other senior fee-earners out there who consider that the liberal use of words such as 'imbecile' and 'moron' forms a part of a structured and constructive training and assessment programme. If you are a senior lawyer I would ask you to review the way you speak to and manage your trainees, and examine their responses to what you say. All trainees have a minimum of a degree and a diploma, and the vast majority of them work hard and want their job desperately. They are feeling a little overwhelmed by practice, know they are not getting it all right, and are trying to impress you.