Half of Female Lawyers Report Sex Harassment : Workplace: One in six women responding to a survey said the incidents occurred within the past three years.

More than half the female lawyers at the nation’s top firms say they have been sexually harassed, one of six within the past three years, according to a new survey.

The National Law Journal, a New York-based legal publication, based its findings on a survey of 800 male and female lawyers.

The trade paper reported that incidents of sexual harassment remained high despite the fact that the vast majority of law firms, 73%, have rules against it.

Of those who responded to the survey, 51% of the women said they had been harassed at some point in their career, citing various types of incidents: unwanted looks and gestures (39%); being touched, pinched, cornered or leaned over (29%), or pressured for sex or dates (19%).

The study found that while most women do not report incidents of sexual harassment, the number of women reporting such events has nearly doubled in four years to 15%. Asked if they would report such an event today, 32% predicted they would.

A third of the lawyers said they themselves had witnessed harassment--39% of the women and 29% of the men.

Yet, more than half did not confront the person responsible. Of those who did take that step, 54% were men and 45% were women.

The survey showed that seven in 10 female respondents believe the problem of sexual harassment exists in their firms while only four in 10 men agree.