A trainee at Stephenson Harwood has punched a partner during a drunken initiation ceremony.

The trainee was on secondment to the firm's Hong Kong office when he was taken for a night on the town by his new team. Invited to undergo an "initiation of sorts", RollOnFriday understands that he was "forced to drink a multitude of shots in a short space of time, without being allowed to eat". Refreshed and energised, he turned round and punched a partner.

"I'm flying on wings of booze!"

Despite slugging his boss the trainee has escaped a reprimand, with a source suggesting it's because "he didn't punch him hard enough". Meanwhile, another insider has disputed claims that the trainee was forbidden from eating. Although drinking on a full stomach has also caused problems for the firm. Last year another Stephenson Harwood trainee vomited over partners at an awards dinner. Puked on and now punched, the firm's senior lawyers are suffering an unusual amount of punishment at the hands of their trainees.

A spokesman for Stephenson Harwood, the official What Did I Do Last Night Firm of the Year, declined to comment.