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US law firm partner lands Game of Thrones cameo

His brother-in-law is hit show’s co-creator

David Cohen (credit: HBO)

Some partners get all the luck. David Cohen, a regulatory and litigation partner at US law firm Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, landed himself a role as an extra in the latest episode of Game of Thrones.

Swapping the tedium of partner meetings for the imagined land of Westeros, Cohen plays a local peasant being conscripted into fighting against the White Walkers. He is seen on camera looking suitably miserable in a queue for a plate of yuk-looking gruel from Ser Davos Seaworth played by Liam Cunningham.

The partner was lucky enough to get the part because his brother-in-law, David Benioff, is one of the show’s co-creators, and Cohen and his family happened to be paying Benioff a Thanksgiving visit in Belfast where GOT was being filmed at the time.

Being an extra on a blockbuster show doesn’t sound as if it is all glamour though. Cohen, who journeyed to the rural location of Winterfell castle, an hour out of Belfast, told US law website Law.com:

“We went out there and got our costumes and makeup and hair all done — and then spent six hours freezing because it was really cold.”

News of Cohen’s debut on the big screen came from a tweet from the official account of the CIA — of all places. It turns out that Cohen spent two years there as deputy director following a stint at the US Treasury Department.

A perk of working for CIA is world travel. Apparently that sometimes extends to other realms…

“Little birds,” be on the lookout for a former deputy director of ours wandering through #Westeros in tonight’s episode of #GameOfThrones. pic.twitter.com/DBIzIFKoju

— CIA (@CIA) April 22, 2019

Meanwhile, the Game of Thrones‘ fan base continues to grow and thrive (around 17 million people tune in officially worldwide with almost three times that number tuning in with piracy viewings). Earlier this month, Legal Cheek reported that Durham Law School was teaming up with Abertay University in Dundee to host a one-day conference examining how the show portrays law, power and justice.

What might well be renamed ‘The David Cohen episode’ aired on Easter Sunday on HBO in the US and on Sky Atlantic (and NOW TV) in the UK as part of the Transatlantic ‘simulcast’.

It’s the eighth and final season of the hit show and will determine who wins the Iron Throne. Cohen added that he could exclusively reveal “with certainty” that it was not his character that gets the coveted seat.

The post US law firm partner lands Game of Thrones cameo appeared first on Legal Cheek.

from Legal News And Updates https://www.legalcheek.com/2019/04/us-law-firm-partner-lands-game-of-thrones-cameo/

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#5JobsIHad: Social media trend sees lawyers reveal unusual previous careers

Christmas grotto elf, haunted house scarer, life drawing model and even a bouncer!

The path to legal practice isn’t always smooth sailing, with some lawyers pursuing very unconventional routes before eventually finding their way into the profession.

Legal Twitter has exploded with tales of lawyers’ unique paths into law. Using the hashtag #5JobsIHad, solicitors and barristers last night revealed the five jobs they held prior to their current post, and Legal Cheek has rounded up some of the best.

It wasn’t all paralegals and legal assistants as you might think. Rachel Law, criminal barrister at Goldsmiths Chambers, is a case in point. Proving that varied life experience is just as important as having stellar academic credentials to bag a career in law, Law revealed she held posts as a “medieval wench”, “Christmas grotto elf” and “haunted house scarer” before finding her place at the bar.

Interesting threads showing law (and other) students that varied life experience is just as important as good grades.

Five jobs I've had on my way to the bar:

1. Mobile phone sales 2. Mediaeval Wench 3. Christmas Grotto elf 4. Haunted House scarer 5. Mental Health paralegal https://t.co/LKHrXrZr9o

— Rachel Law (@crimcounsel) April 23, 2019

This was something fellow barrister Emmanuel Goldstein knows too well. “It’s vitally important, imho [in my humble opinion], for people entering the practice of law to have practical, real world experience outside of it,” he tweeted, before revealing his experience extends to “bouncer”, “book store clerk” and even “maître d’”!

It’s vitally important, imho, for people entering the practice of law to have practical, real world experience outside of it.

#5JobsIHad before law school:

1. Horse Show maintenance staff 2. Bouncer 3. Book store clerk 4. Communications manager 5. Maître d’

— Emmanuel Goldstein

(@ExitedBritain) April 23, 2019

Also sharing their top five unique career journeys were Dan Herman, partner and Leeds office head of litigation outfit Stewarts, and Ceri-Ann Taylor, solicitor at specialist medical negligence firm Enable Law.

5 jobs I’ve had:

1. Deli counter assistant at Gateway 2. Trolley boy at Safeway 3. Barman in a jazz club 4. Crew member at McDonald’s 5. Paralegal/Trainee Solicitor/Solicitor/Partner

How about you? https://t.co/y7zqEkn56K

— Dan Herman (@DanielJHerman) April 23, 2019

5 jobs I've had:

1. Washing up in local restaurant (for £2 per hour!) 2. Care assistant in nursing home 3. Bar worker 4. Carer for disabled in the community. 5. Trainee/solicitor

— Ceri-Ann Taylor (@ceri_cat) April 24, 2019

Laywers LegallyShort and CrimeGirl, who both tweet under an alias, shared their particularly unsual pathways to the profession:

5 jobs I've had:

1) supermarket checkout assistant 2)playworker 3) receptionist for the probation service 4) life drawing model 5) note taker for students with additional needs https://t.co/hIHAavmZHq

— LegallyShort (@LegallyShort) April 24, 2019

Five jobs I’ve had on the way to the Bar

1. Barmaid (handling drunk people) 2. Sales assistant @ luxury property developer (handling rich people) 3. Paralegal 4. Forensic MH worker 5. Solicitor https://t.co/SKCrXTdJp1

— CrimeGirl (@CrimeGirI) April 23, 2019

Chris Bowman, an associate at personal injury firm Minster Law tweeted he had previously worked as a fireman

Car park attendant Care assistant Warehouse operative Fireman Solicitor

— Chris Bowman (@bo20154709) April 23, 2019

While Kate Murray, a solicitor specialising in medical negligence at Minton Morrill Solicitors revealed her five includes working at the checkout at supermarket chain Asda. “I still hear the beeping now

” she quipped.

5 jobs I’ve had: 1. Worked on the sweet / cigarette counter in a post office 2. Kindergarten Assistant in Germany 3. Checkout at Asda – I still hear the beeping now

4. Call Centre for store card company 5. Solicitor https://t.co/ARi0si09pK

— Kate Murray (Eccles) (@kate_the_lawyer) April 23, 2019

Barman/barmaid, singer, waiter/waitress, shop assistant, sports coach and even “glass picker” made an appearance on some lawyers’ extraordinary CVs:

1. Barman 2. Bouncer 3. Waiter 4. Restaurant Manager 5. Costs Lawyer

— John Plunkett (@JohnPlunks) April 24, 2019

Jobs I had on my way to law firm owner:

1) Ceramics salesperson 2) Barmaid 3) Receptionist at caravan company 4) Spud-u-like 5) Barrister

& within 3 weeks of qualifying as a Solicitor I became joint owner of a criminal law firm which exists to this day (22 years later)

— Keima Payton (@KeimaPayton) April 24, 2019

5 jobs I have had:

1. Shop assistant in a clothes shop 2. Admin Assistant at the CPS 3. Admin Assistant at a Magistrates Court 4. Singer in a band 5. Solicitor at DLA

— Natalie Rodgers (@Natalie_Scala) April 23, 2019

1. Fast food chain worker 2. Waitress 3. Mobile phone salesperson 4. Sports coach 5. Solicitor

— Ashleigh Jane (@LittleMissRolo) April 23, 2019

5 jobs I've had:

1. Glass picker @ recycling plant (removing broken glass from conveyor belt of waste) 2. Waitress/ bar staff at the races 3. Supply teacher 4. Trainee solicitor/ solicitor/ associate 5. Mamma to my 10month old

I could list a lot more!

— Jenny Bowden (@JennyBowden) April 23, 2019

Summing up the series of tweets, Owen Franks, commercial property solicitor at Ashtons Legal, commented that “they show how varied the legal profession has become”, whereas before, “solicitor” and “partner” would be the only roles featured.

What I like about these lists is they show how varied the legal profession has become. Back in the day, the list for solicitors would have read:

1. Solicitor 2. Partner.

End of list.

— Owen Franks (@OwenComProp) April 24, 2019

Feel free to share your #5JobsIHad in the comments section below.

The post #5JobsIHad: Social media trend sees lawyers reveal unusual previous careers appeared first on Legal Cheek.

from Legal News And Updates https://www.legalcheek.com/2019/04/5jobsihad-social-media-trend-sees-lawyers-reveal-unusual-previous-careers/

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BSB investigate after BPP ‘error’ left some BPTC students sitting ethics exam in ‘canteen’

Exclusive: The law school has apologised for the mix-up

The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has launched an investigation after a seating plan “error” resulted in a number of Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) students at BPP Law School sitting an exam in what some have likened to a “canteen”. BPP has since apologised for the mix-up.

Wannabe barristers across the country sat an ethics exam, one of several assessments centrally assessed by the regulator, on the afternoon of April 8. However, Legal Cheek can reveal a number of part-time BPP students turned up to London’s ExCeL Centre where the exam was scheduled to take place at 2pm, only to discover they weren’t listed on the exam seating plan.

Exam invigilators attempted to rectify the blunder by hastily preparing an additional room nearby to accommodate the students in question — which unfortunately only led to further problems, according to our insiders.

One anonymous source described the extra room as a “canteen” with “glass walls which meant we had the full distraction of passers-by”. Meanwhile, another insider claimed the exam started over 30 minutes later than scheduled and that the room was so cold students were forced to wear their winter coats. “By the time the exam started most of us were frazzled and upset by the experience”, they told us.

Responding to the complaints, a spokesperson for BPP told Legal Cheek:

“There was an error in the arrangements for the set-up of the examination and for this we unreservedly apologise. As soon as the error was realised, an additional room was set up but unfortunately the start of the examination was delayed. The error will be reported to the BSB as part of the exam board processes.”

The BSB confirmed it was investigating, with a spokesperson telling us:

“We have received the invigilators’ reports and we have also received two informal complaints. We will be investigating the issues raised. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage. Any individuals who have concerns about the conditions of their examination rooms or administrative arrangements should raise these with their provider in the first instance.”

The 2019 Legal Cheek BPTC Most List

The post BSB investigate after BPP ‘error’ left some BPTC students sitting ethics exam in ‘canteen’ appeared first on Legal Cheek.

from Legal News And Updates https://www.legalcheek.com/2019/04/bsb-investigate-after-bpp-error-left-some-bptc-students-sitting-ethics-exam-in-canteen/

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Community order for junior solicitor who sent Bumble date abusive messages

Victor Kruchinkin described former flame as a ‘gobby ethnic from Zone 8’ after she ended relationship

A junior solicitor has been handed a community order after he sent a string of abusive messages to a woman he met online, including one in which he claimed he only had sex with her to punish her for “being fat and for having saggy t*ts”.

Victor Kruchinkin, who at the time was a lawyer at Adams & Remers Solicitors in Pall Mall, London, described Christiana Amao a “gobby ethnic from Zone 8” via Facebook after she called time on their brief relationship, CourtNewsUK reports.

Southwark Crown Court heard how they met through the dating app Bumble in December of last year and met on two occasions before Amao ended things.

According to the report, 32-year-old Kruchinkin then sent a number of messages to Amao, including one in which he said she was “lucky to still be alive” and another where he described himself as a “psycho”. In a further message, he reportedly wrote: “I f**ked you as punishment for wasting my time, for being fat and for having saggy t*ts, for having a loose p***y and for being overweight.”

Property law specialist Kruchinkin, who was admitted to the roll in January 2018, is said to have told Amao he’d created a false Facebook account to seduce her and she would never be able to trace him, the report adds.

Kruchinkin was arrested at work in January after Amao reported the messages to the police.

In a statement read to the court, Amao said: “I was unable to leave my house for the first few days for fear he was around the corner. I was extremely worried he would try and take my life. I believe that the crime was motivated by race because he used the N-word.”

The lawyer admitted a charge of persistently making use of the public communications network to cause annoyance or anxiety.

The report reveals Kruchinkin was originally sentenced to six weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, along with 100 hours unpaid work and 25 days of rehabilitation activity. This, however, was later reduced on appeal to a 12-month community order, 100 hours of unpaid work and 15 days of rehabilitation activity. A restraining order that previously barred Kruchinkin from contacting Amao was also lifted.

Kruchinkin’s barrister, Tahir Ali, told the court: “He [Kruchinkin] did make a veiled threat. He met her on a dating website and he shared a night of intimacy with her. In relation to whether this offence was racially aggravated, it is my submission that it was not.”

Ali explained that Kruchinkin was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome which meant “he has a propensity to speak his mind without thinking through the consequences”, adding: “That may explain why Mr Kruchinkin wasn’t able to hold himself back — quite strange for a solicitor who worked for a commercial firm in the City.”

A spokesperson for the Solicitors Regulation Authority told Legal Cheek: “We are investigating before deciding on appropriate action.”

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The post Community order for junior solicitor who sent Bumble date abusive messages appeared first on Legal Cheek.

from Legal News And Updates https://www.legalcheek.com/2019/04/community-order-for-junior-solicitor-who-sent-bumble-date-abusive-messages/

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Medical Malpractice Payout Report for 2018

The National Practitioner Data Bank, a computer database of the United States Department of Health and Human Services that collects information about physicians, has released its annual report concerning medical malpractice payouts. The report, which analyzes medical malpractice claims from 2004 through 2018, highlights important trends in payout amounts throughout the United States. If the changes in 2018 are any indication, 2019 looks like it will also be a year of increased medical malpractice payout amounts throughout the country.

Payout Totals and Averages Nationally and by State

According to the published report, approximately $4,031,987,700 was paid to plaintiffs in medical malpractice lawsuits in 2018. The figure represents a 2.91% increase from the previous year of 2017. Over the course of the 14-year span that the report covers, the total payout amount has varied, sometimes significantly. The total payout for medical malpractice claims in 2004 was the highest year recorded, totaling approximately $4.6 billion. The number steadily decreased over the next eight years, reaching a low in 2012 of approximately $3.5 billion. It increased consistently over the next six years, experiencing jumps by nearly $200 million each year from 2012 to 2014. The payouts were the result of settlements 96.5% of the time, with only 3.5% (and $142,569,750 in total payments) resulting from a court judgment.

The average malpractice payment for 2018 was $348,065, in comparison to 2017, which averaged slightly less than $300,000. Unlike the total payout amount, the average payments experienced less fluctuation throughout the years and remained relatively steady. In 2014, the average malpractice amount was over $250,000 and hovered around the $300,000 mark for nine years.

The average payout amounts, however, might not be the most accurate indicator. As the state-by-state breakdown shows, the average medical malpractice payouts by state vary greatly. New York topped the list, with an average payout of $446,461 in 2018. In New York, 1,535 claims were paid, totaling $685,317,000, and marking an 11% increase from the year prior. The second highest state average was in Pennsylvania, averaging at $405,978 based off 909 claims and a total of $369,034,250. Many states experienced astronomical payout increases over  the previous year, such as Minnesota (101%), South Dakota (199%), and Vermont (a whooping 486% increase in 2018). Hawaii, Mississippi, Washington D.C., and North Dakota experienced the biggest average decreases, by 60%, 41%, 76%, and 81% respectively.

Types of Medical Malpractice Claims

In 2018, medical errors related to diagnoses comprised 34.1% of malpractice actions, making it the most frequent claim. Malpractice in regard to surgery, 21.4% was the second-most alleged, with issues related to treatment following in a close third at 21.1%. These numbers are consistent with previous findings, as one study on the rates of medical malpractice lawsuits in the United States between 1992 and 2014 also found that misdiagnosis, surgical errors, and treatment-related mistakes are the most common types of claims.

In terms of damages, 29.7% of the claims resulted in death, 18.7% resulted in major permanent injury, and 12.3% resulted from brain damage, quadriplegia, and other injuries that require lifelong care. Interestingly, the payouts for malpractice claims that allegedly caused death (which average about $386,317 per person) were not as high as brain damage claims, which earned the highest payouts, at $961,185.

The Importance of Medical Malpractice Experts

Any medical malpractice lawsuit needs an expert (or several) to either prove or rebut the allegations. At the basis of every malpractice suit is whether the defendant deviated from the acceptable standard of care and if so, whether such deviation caused the injuries. While the physician’s conduct is dependent upon the particularized facts of the case, the central issue when establishing the standard of care is whether the physician acted as a reasonable professional in their field would under the same or similar circumstances. An expert trained in the particular practice area that is the subject of the litigation is necessary to establish whether such standard was met.

Overall, if the data for 2018 is any predictor, 2019 will likely see a relative increase in total medical malpractice payout amounts (while state-by-state numbers are not as easy to predict).  As a whole, the United States is likely to continue an upward trend in terms of medical malpractice litigation, making the need for medical experts all the more pressing.

The post Medical Malpractice Payout Report for 2018 appeared first on The Expert Institute.

from Legal News And Updates https://www.theexpertinstitute.com/medical-malpractice-payout-report-for-2018/

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Solicitor escapes with suspension over ‘modest’ cannabis farm

Makes a real hash of her career

A junior solicitor has been handed a six-month suspension after a small cannabis farm was found in her home.

Lancashire-based Michelle Davis escaped being struck off by a disciplinary tribunal after the panel accepted that the drugs weren’t hers.

Davis, 37 this year, qualified as a solicitor in 2012. At the time of the drug bust she worked for Adnan Hanif Solicitors in Nelson, Lancashire.

But her career took a turn in 2017, when police discovered a “well set up, but modest in scale, cannabis farm” in a bedroom at Davis’s address. The crop was worth between £11,000 and £16,000.

Davis, however, insisted that the dope belonged to her husband. She had “played no part in the setting up, cultivating, producing or growing of the cannabis”, which was not intended for resale.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) agreed, dropping most of the charges in exchange for David pleading guilty to permitting the production of drugs on her premises.

At Preston Crown Court, Judge Parry sentenced Davis to a community order rather than prison, but commented that “as a result of this conviction no doubt you will be [struck off]”.

Davis told the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) that she fully accepted her wrong-doing and had “let people down including myself”.

Meting out a six-month suspension, the tribunal noted that Davis was not a “complete novice as a solicitor”, but had ‘fessed up to the conviction and hadn’t been dishonest. There were, the panel said, plenty of mitigating factors in the “one-off episode” for which Davis was genuinely remorseful. It also noted that no clients were harmed in the episode.

The post Solicitor escapes with suspension over ‘modest’ cannabis farm appeared first on Legal Cheek.

from Legal News And Updates https://www.legalcheek.com/2019/04/solicitor-escapes-with-suspension-over-modest-cannabis-farm/

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New innovation LLB sees Exeter Uni students spend a year at Reed Smith

Placement roles in global outfit’s London office up for grabs as part of four-year law degree

The University of Exeter and Reed Smith’s London office (photo credit: Philkai1)

The University of Exeter has teamed up with US giant Reed Smith to launch a new LLB with an innovation-focused placement year in the firm’s London office.

The four-year ‘legal placement’ degree is available to Exeter’s existing first year law students, who will be the first to participate in the “immersive” City placement, expected to take place in the 2020/2021 academic year.

The new degree aims to prepare students for increasing “growth in legal innovation and technology”. In particular, the course will address how tech-led change is altering the role of judges and lawyers; in addition to how tech can be used to widen access to justice, such as through online courts.

Students will then have the chance to put this knowledge to practice while working in Reed Smith’s London office — which is the largest of all 28 offices across the globe. During their time students will be sat within two of the firm’s practice areas and, with the support of their innovation hub and tech teams, will focus on designing new and improved ways of delivering legal services.

For now, up to five students from Exeter Uni will be chosen for the placement, which also comes with a guaranteed invite to Reed Smith’s training contract assessment day. If successful, candidates will have bagged one of the 25 training contracts currently offered by the firm each year. It remains unclear how much participants will be paid during their 12 months at the firm.

Professor Sue Prince, from the University of Exeter Law School and director of the programme, said:

“The aim of this programme is to deliver law training in a different and more innovative way, which meets the requirements of students and the legal industry. This is more than just a placement, it gives students a real opportunity to experience the world of law firms.”

This is the second time that Reed Smith has partnered with a Russell Group university to design a bespoke law degree. As reported by Legal Cheek, the US-headquartered firm teamed-up with Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) in 2015 to create a four-year sandwich degree — known as the ‘Law in Practice LLB’– that also included a placement year in Reed Smith and a guaranteed training contract interview.

Lucy Dillon, chief knowledge officer at Reed Smith, commented:

“Innovation is one of Reed Smith’s core values, and exciting initiatives such as these bespoke LLB courses with Exeter and Queen Mary form a key part of developing our next-generation of lawyers, with a well-rounded view of legal practice, innovation, available technologies and improved service delivery, all focused on a deep understanding of clients’ needs.”

The post New innovation LLB sees Exeter Uni students spend a year at Reed Smith appeared first on Legal Cheek.

from Legal News And Updates https://www.legalcheek.com/2019/04/exeter-uni-joins-forces-with-reed-smith-to-launch-new-innovation-focused-legal-placement-llb/

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British corporate lawyer killed in Sri Lanka attacks

Anita Nicholson confirmed dead, alongside her two children, while husband, a partner at Kennedys, survives

The Nicholson family

A British corporate lawyer and her two children were among hundreds killed in the Sri Lanka attacks over the weekend.

Anita Nicholson, managing counsel at Anglo American, a multinational mining company, and her two children, Alex, 14, and Annabel, 11, were fatally wounded in the bombing at the Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. Anita’s husband, Ben Nicholson, a partner in the Singapore office of international law firm Kennedys, survived the blast.

Anita, 42, studied law at the University of Leeds and spent two years at DLA Piper, before joining the Treasury as senior legal advisor. The Singapore-based lawyer joined Anglo American in February, according to her LinkedIn.

Ben, 43, confirmed his wife, daughter and son had been killed as they sat at a table for breakfast on Sunday.

In an emotional statement, Ben paid tribute to his “wonderful” wife and children. He said:

“Mercifully, all three of them died instantly and with no pain or suffering. I am deeply distressed at the loss of my wife and children. Anita was a wonderful, perfect wife and a brilliant, loving and inspirational mother to our two wonderful children.”

The statement continued: “Alex and Annabel were the most amazing, intelligent, talented and thoughtful children… They shared with their mother the priceless ability to light up any room they entered and bring joy to the lives of all they came into contact with.”

The death toll from the wave of bombings targeting churches and hotels has hit 310, including eight Britons, local police have said.

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The post British corporate lawyer killed in Sri Lanka attacks appeared first on Legal Cheek.

from Legal News And Updates https://www.legalcheek.com/2019/04/british-corporate-lawyer-killed-in-sri-lanka-attacks/

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BPP Law School scholarship fund exceeds £1 million for the first time

Several new awards up for grabs as part of expanded funding programme

BPP University Law School (BPP) has ramped up its scholarship offerings for the forthcoming academic year, with more than £1 million in funding now up for grabs.

One of the new prizes on offer is the Lord Holmes Scholarship, which is awarded to students who demonstrate a “unique and inspiring legal career journey”, “overcoming obstacles” or providing an “outstanding contribution to charitable causes.” Named after the chancellor of BPP University, Lord Chris Holmes, a former lawyer and Paralympic swimmer, the scholarship covers the full cost of the successful applicant’s postgraduate law course.

Other full fee awards up for grabs for the first time this year include the Dean of the Law School Scholarship, aimed at wannabe lawyers who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement, and the Future Leader Scholarship, available to students who show drive, ambition and outstanding leadership.

BPP’s rival, The University of Law (ULaw), also offers a substantial scholarship fund. Its full fee postgraduate awards include the Sadiq Khan and the Baroness Sayeeda Warsi Set for Success Scholarship, aimed at applicants from less-privileged backgrounds. Meanwhile, City Law School will dish out up to ten full fee and 100 partial fee prizes for the upcoming academic year. These are awarded on the basis of academic excellence.

Rounding off BPP’s new and improved prize list for this year are the Vice Chancellor and Pro Vice Chancellor Scholarships, full fee awards exclusively open to members of BPP’s LLB cohort who make outstanding contributions to the BPP student experience. The legal education giant also offers a Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) scholarship for science students in partnership with the STEM Future Lawyers careers network.

Explaining how scholarships can provide a vital financial lifeline to students who would otherwise be unable to pursue their legal dreams, current Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) student, Niamh Ingham, said:

“I was fortunate enough to receive support from the BPP scholarships fund which, alongside my Inns scholarship, allowed me to complete the BPTC without worrying about tuition fees. As a candidate from a low-income background, these scholarships were fundamental to my career and I look forward to commencing my pupillage in September.”

The law school confirmed that up to 200 Career Commitment Scholarships, worth £2,000 each, will also be dished out to the runners-up in each award category.

Andrew Chadwick, dean of BPP Law School, added: “The law is one of the most competitive sectors for graduates — and that isn’t going to change. However, we hope these targeted awards will help those with the ability, potential and drive to achieve their ambitions, regardless of their background.”

The post BPP Law School scholarship fund exceeds £1 million for the first time appeared first on Legal Cheek.

from Legal News And Updates https://www.legalcheek.com/2019/04/bpp-law-school-scholarship-fund-exceeds-1-million-for-the-first-time/

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Tuesday morning round-up

The top legal affairs news stories from the Bank Holiday

Teenage Extinction Rebellion protester “dragged by police” is “seeking legal advice” [Metro]

Google Chrome could swerve new UK porn block law for all users [The Sun]

Lawyer killed in Sri Lanka attacks [Sky News]

US Supreme Court to decide whether bias law covers gay and transgender workers [New York Times]

UK companies cut money set aside for legal claims [Financial Times]

A woman has accused India’s most senior judge of sexual harassment [BuzzFeed]

The latest comments from across Legal Cheek

Polly Higgins, lawyer who fought for recognition of “ecocide”, dies aged 50 [The Guardian]

Barristers, solicitors and paralegals urged to join single trade union [The Guardian]

Court rules Chelsea Manning must stay in jail for refusing to provide testimony in WikiLeaks case [Gizmodo]

Eve Cornwell reacts to Kim Kardashian studying law [YouTube]

Thread: A genuine question, how “good” are the law departments of said big four firms? [Legal Cheek Comments]

General release tickets on sale for the Future of Legal Education and Training Conference 2019 [Legal Cheek Events]

Win a return transatlantic flight to New York City in Legal Cheek and BARBRI’s vlogging competition [Legal Cheek Noticeboard]

The post Tuesday morning round-up appeared first on Legal Cheek.

from Legal News And Updates https://www.legalcheek.com/2019/04/tuesday-morning-round-up/

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Understanding the College Admissions Cheating Scandal Lawsuits

In March 2019, federal prosecutors charged fifty people with participation in schemes to get their children admitted to top colleges and universities using fraud, bribery, and falsehoods. The group of people charged included well-known actors, CEOs, and fashion designers, as well as other wealthy individuals.

Now, members of the same group charged with criminal behavior in the scandal are also facing civil lawsuits. Two class action lawsuits allege that both these parents and the colleges they engaged with denied others a fair chance to be accepted at or attend elite colleges and universities.

The Allegations

One of the class action lawsuits was filed by the parent of a student who was not admitted to several of the colleges involved in the scandal, despite the student’s 4.2 high school GPA. The suit alleges that the misbehavior of the charged parents resulted in students who had worked to earn a spot at these schools being denied the opportunity to attend.

The other, filed by two Stanford University students, alleges that the colleges’ participation resulted in qualified students being denied the opportunity to attend these elite schools. The Stanford students also claim that Stanford’s participation in the scheme has devalued their own Stanford educations.

The class action lawsuits claim that over one million people have been affected by the scandal, due to the number of colleges involved.

What Happened?

At the heart of the scandal is the claim that wealthy parents throughout the United States sought the help of Newport Beach businessman William Singer to get their children into the best colleges. Singer owns Edge College & Career Network and the Key Worldwide Foundation, and he allegedly claimed he could help students get into elite, highly-competitive colleges even if the student’s own record did not merit admission.

The case also alleges that by routing payments through the Key Worldwide Foundation, Singer was able to disguise the scheme. Parents who paid Key Worldwide were able to write off those payments as tax-deductible donations to charity as well, despite the fact that the money was used not for charitable purposes but to bribe college administrators and other parties.

Fraud in College Admissions

The college admissions bribery scandal is unique in its breadth – not only in the number of people and colleges involved, but also in the diversity of tactics used to carry it out.

College admissions fraud has made headlines in other ways, however, including the fraud case against Corinthian Colleges, Inc. in the late 2000s. There, Corinthian was accused of using various deceptive tactics to acquire more federal funding, such as falsifying financial aid applications and manipulating student enrollment numbers, grades and job placement data.

Currently, students who attended Corinthian’s schools are receiving assistance from the federal Department of Education, which has set aside money to assist in loan forgiveness. These students are also protected by a preliminary injunction issued in May 2018 in Manriquez v. DeVos, which prevents the Department of Education from collecting on direct loans held by certain borrowers.

In the Corinthian cases, the primary target of civil litigation was Corinthian itself. In the recent class action lawsuits, however, both the colleges and the parents involved in the alleged scheme find themselves facing lawsuits.

What to Expect from Expert Witnesses

Because the class action lawsuits arising from the college admissions bribery scandal are the first of their kind, it is difficult to extrapolate from earlier cases in order to determine which expert witnesses will likely be called upon in the cases.

One potential source of contention is likely to be the methods used to determine whether and to what extent the students represented by the class actions were harmed by the behavior of the parents who bribed colleges and the colleges that accepted bribes. Questions about methodology appear in Manriquez v. DeVos, as well as in college admission cases like Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin and Gratz v. Bollinger. Although these class actions do not involve questions of race, as Fisher and Gratz did, they do involve complex questions of fitness for admission to a particular institution – questions that experts may well be asked to illuminate.

The type of expert witnesses called upon will likely depend on the specific questions of methodology that are raised. In both class action cases, however, experts with experience in college admissions decision-making and the operations of college administrations, including athletic departments, may be asked to clarify key points about the bribery scheme and its effect on student admissions and recruitment.

The post Understanding the College Admissions Cheating Scandal Lawsuits appeared first on The Expert Institute.

from Legal News And Updates https://www.theexpertinstitute.com/understanding-the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal-lawsuits/

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Freshfields partner on ‘indefinite leave’ ahead of disciplinary hearing

Allegations remain unknown

Ryan Beckwith

A partner at Freshfields has been placed on “indefinite leave”, ahead of his appearance before a Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) next week.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is still to publish the allegations against Ryan Beckwith, a restructuring and insolvency partner in the magic circle outfit’s London office, but confirmed it would do so in the coming weeks.

A case management hearing is scheduled for Friday 26 April, according to a listing published on the SDT’s website.

A spokesperson for Freshfields said:

“We are aware of the publication regarding a hearing before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal involving a partner at the firm, who is on indefinite leave. The matter is subject to proceedings and we are unable to comment further.”

Beckwith, who was elevated to partner in 2012, studied law at Anglia Polytechnic University (now Anglia Ruskin University), before going on to study civil law at the University of Oxford.

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from Legal News And Updates https://www.legalcheek.com/2019/04/freshfields-partner-placed-on-indefinite-leave-ahead-of-disciplinary-hearing/

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Big Four told to keep lawyers and accountants apart

Competition and Market Authority stops short of banning accountancy giants from legal sector altogether

The Big Four accountancy giants should be made to split their fast-growing legal practices from their audit work, an influential government regulator recommends today.

Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC need to put strict Chinese walls between their professional services people and their auditors in order to improve the quality of their auditing, according to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

The regulator has been looking into the structure of the audit market amid concerns that the Big Four firms are too dominant despite not doing a very good job.

One of the CMA’s four recommendations is an “operational split” between audit and professional services within each firm. None of the Big Four are solely focused on accountancy any more, with things like management consultancy and — increasingly — legal services making up a larger share of the business than old-fashioned bean counting.

The CMA wants the audit business to have its own chief executive and board of management, with no profit sharing between the two sides of the business. That way, it reckons, management of the audit business will be able to focus on doing their clients’ accounts properly, rather than being distracted by shiny professional services activities.

One non-audit insider at Deloitte told Legal Cheek: “Generally I think it’s a good idea. The Big Four have become too powerful”.

The regulator decided not to recommend that the non-audit businesses be spun out completely. It thinks that an internal operational split, falling short of separation into two new firms, will be enough. The CMA also declined the radical step of banning the Big Four from the legal and professional services market altogether.

All this could happen within 12-18 months, if the government were to back it. The CMA points out that “the audit firms have all the expertise needed to implement this remedy quickly and effectively”.

All four accountancy giants now have a bridgehead in the UK legal market, with Deloitte the last to pick up its alternative business structure licence last year. In November 2018, KPMG announced plans to double its global complement of lawyers to 3,000 — which would make it one of the biggest law firms on the planet.

In a way, this would only be a reversion to type for the Big Four’s lawyers. PwC Legal was a separate entity as recently as 2016, as a committee of MPs pointed out in a separate report published earlier this month.

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from Legal News And Updates https://www.legalcheek.com/2019/04/big-four-told-to-keep-lawyers-and-accountants-apart/

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Criminal barrister reveals emotional toll of life at the bar in candid Twitter thread

‘We are expected to brush away the trauma of one case and pick up the next’

Fans of legal dramas will be forgiven for thinking that life at the criminal bar is one of glamour, wealth and non-stop excitement. But the reality is quite different: as evidenced in a recent Twitter thread by Richard Bentwood, a criminal barrister at London’s 23 Essex Street Chambers.

Kicking things off, Bentwood explains that he has just come to the end of a “nasty kidnap trial” involving a “violent London gang”. His client was convicted along with his two co-defendants, Bentwood writes.

I have just concluded a nasty kidnap trial. In essence, it was all gang oriented with the victim kidnapped, beaten and humiliated , having stolen drugs from a violent London gang.

My client was convicted along with his two co-defendants.

A brief thread 1/9

— Richard (@c0unse1) April 15, 2019

The experienced barrister continues to describe how his 18-year-old client “demonstrated a bravado and nonchalance” throughout the trial, treating his legal team with “little respect”.

Throughout the trial my client demonstrated a bravado and nonchalance, almost a ‘don’t give a shit’ attitude. He displayed little awareness of the seriousness of the matter. He treated his legal team with little respect.

My client is only 18 years old.

2/9

— Richard (@c0unse1) April 15, 2019

Bentwood goes on to say how his client’s demeanour quickly changed following his conviction. “The gangster façade had dropped”, he explains.

Following conviction I went down to see him in the cells. It’s never an easy conversation. There is little left to say. As I waited to be let in I wondered how he was taking the verdict. I imagined it would be with profanities and arguments.

3/9

— Richard (@c0unse1) April 15, 2019

In the cells, he had his head atop his arms, resting on the table. He was sobbing his eyes out. Quite literally, inconsolable. The gangster façade had dropped. He was just an 18 year old boy, looking at 10 years plus. Lost.

4/9

— Richard (@c0unse1) April 15, 2019

Accepting that there is no reason why he should feel sorry him, yet he does, Brentwood reflects on the chances he had compared to those of his now sobbing client.

It isn’t always easy doing our job. The client is not one obviously deserving of sympathy. On the crown case he showed little sympathy or mercy towards his victims. There is no logic why I should feel sorry for him, yet I do.

5/9

— Richard (@c0unse1) April 15, 2019

As I left to the sound of his crying, I couldn’t help but think as to the life chances he had, and those that I had. Role models, education, prospects are something he never had. I’m not saying there but for the grace of god go I, equally, people aren't born inherently bad. 6/9

— Richard (@c0unse1) April 15, 2019

In a series of further tweets, Brentwood describes how life at the criminal bar is “tough” and “emotionally draining”, explaining how barristers are expected to “brush away the trauma of one case and pick up the next”.

Glorious wins in court make for nice war/Twitter stories, but the day to day losses less so. Ours is a tough job. Emotionally draining.

7/9

— Richard (@c0unse1) April 15, 2019

Tomorrow, I will start to prep my next case. A late return on a rape. We are expected to brush away the trauma of one case and pick up the next. That’s what we do. That’s the job.

8/9

— Richard (@c0unse1) April 15, 2019

Rounding off his emotional thread, Brentwood tells his followers that the pay is “demeaning”, the hours are “long” and that he receives little thanks for his hard work. “I feel drained, he feels far worse”, he concludes.

The pay is demeaning, the hours long, and the thanks few and far between. However, what we do matters.

This story has no moral, no pithy ending. I tried a case, the client lost. I feel drained, he feels far worse.#justanotherday

9/9

— Richard (@c0unse1) April 15, 2019

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from Legal News And Updates https://www.legalcheek.com/2019/04/criminal-barrister-reveals-emotional-toll-of-life-at-the-bar-in-candid-twitter-thread/

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Kim Kardashian proves haters wrong as she ‘aces’ torts exam

Clad in comfy sweats and £77,000 Birkin bag

Following a fiery Insta exchange where she shot back at her critics for pursuing her lawyerly ambitions, first-year law student Kim Kardashian has been pictured rocking up to sit a tort law exam.

The 38-year-old socialite was photographed yesterday hopping out of her Range Rover and into what appears to be a building in Los Angeles where she supposedly took the test.

Dressed in casual grey Yeezy jogger pants, trainers and a hoodie to boot — the reality TV star would not look out of place in your average law student cohort. She clutched a large binder with the word ‘criminal’ scrawled in capital letters and carried a khaki rucksack (doubtless filled with more paperwork and textbooks).

In a rather telltale sign to the icon’s wealth and celeb status, Kardashian also toted a cream crocodile Hermès Birkin handbag, that is estimated to cost around $100,000 (£77,000).

The social media superstar took to her Instagram on Tuesday, where she boasts an impressive 134 million followers, to share a glimpse into her exam prep. Posting a pic (below) of her (very neat) tort law revision notes, the beauty business icon could be seen studying definitions of negligence: ‘standard of care’ and ‘breach of duty’, combined with flashcards and handwritten key terms scribed on them. What struck Legal Cheek most was her distinct lack of highlighters!

Kim Kardashian has the exact handwriting of every student who spends all their time writing notes but no time actually reading them pic.twitter.com/ueqeLSPRHm

— beanutputter (@ahmxdhassan) April 16, 2019

Following the exam, which is one of three Kim K must complete in order to pass her first year, the reality TV queen of Keeping up with the Kardashians fame tweeted she had “Aced my test btw ”, meaning the star, whose own father, Robert Kardashian, was an attorney and famously worked on OJ Simpson’s murder trial, could be one step closer to her lawyer dream.

Aced my test btw

— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) April 17, 2019

The mother-of-three (soon to be four) sent shockwaves around the legal world when she revealed she is studying to become a lawyer in May’s issue of fashion bible Vogue. She confirmed she had begun a four-year legal apprenticeship with an unnamed law firm in San Francisco last summer, with a view to sitting the California bar exam in 2022.

Despite not possessing a university degree, Kardashian’s path into law is possible because California is one of a number of US states that allow aspiring lawyers to sit their final bar exams without a law degree.

Earlier this week Kimmie hit back at her haters in a lengthy Insta post. “I’ve seen some comments from people who are saying it’s my privilege or my money that got me here, but that’s not the case,” wrote Kardashian, who also detailed her gruelling study schedule which includes disconnecting from friends and sacrificing time with her children to spend 18-hours per week on her studies.

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from Legal News And Updates https://www.legalcheek.com/2019/04/kim-kardashian-proves-haters-wrong-as-she-aces-torts-exam/

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Best of the blogs

Weekly round-up of the top legal blogosphere posts

Shamima Begum may not deserve your sympathy, but she is entitled to legal aid [The Secret Barrister]

Matthew Scott: Shamima Begum has a right to legal aid [The Spectator] (registration required)

I was among the first to sit the SQE pilot — here’s what I thought [Legal Cheek]

Should in-house lawyers hide from senior manager responsibility? [Lawyer Watch]

What’s in the bag? Advice on what to take to court: handkerchief, pens and… Tunnocks [Civil Litigation Brief]

Joshua Rozenberg: Post Office plays hardball with ironman judge [Law Society Gazette]

Entries now open: ‘My US Legal Icon’ Vlogging Prize [Legal Cheek Careers]

Survey: Which legal research tools do you use? [Legal Cheek Careers]

London white-collar crime boutique firm seeks solicitor to join its expanding team [Legal Cheek Hub]

“I am now in fear of what standard of lawyers shall be unleashed on the public I am currently on the LPC and there are some students who really do not have a clue about the law, or the practice areas we study. The LPC filters many of these students out. The SQE appears to have dropped the standards considerably … and now the hopeless students will be released on the public” [Legal Cheek comments]

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from Legal News And Updates https://www.legalcheek.com/2019/04/best-of-the-blogs-17/

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Arden University appoints ex-BPP chief as vice chancellor

Carl Lygo spent 20 years at education giant before stepping down in 2017

Carl Lygo

Arden University has confirmed the appointment of ex-BPP University chief Carl Lygo as its new vice chancellor and CEO.

A formidable player in the legal education world, Lygo was the founding vice chancellor of BPP University and served as the CEO of BPP Holdings until 2017. He practised as a barrister on the North Eastern and South Eastern circuits for 11 years, before making the move into teaching in the early 90s, helping BPP establish both its Bar Vocational Course (now known as the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC)) and Legal Practice Course (LPC).

Arden is a private university with study centres in Birmingham, Manchester and London, and is owned by Global University Systems — a corporate group which owns and operates several for-profit colleges and universities including BPP’s rival, The University of Law (ULaw). The uni, which was established in 1990, offers a range of courses including law and criminology.

Commenting on his new role, Lygo said:

“As Arden University continues to go from strength to strength, I am looking forward to embracing the opportunities of my role as its vice chancellor and CEO. I hope to make a valuable contribution to Arden’s continued growth and success.”

Lygo, a professor in English common law, left BPP in March 2017 to focus on “charitable and community work”. His departure came a month after BPP Law School’s owner Apollo Education Group was sold to a trio of private investment firms for £760 million.

Lygo replaces Philip Hallam who has held the role of vice chancellor at Arden for the past 19 years. Hallam will stay on as part of the university’s advisory board until October, facilitating the transition and supporting Lygo in his new role.

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from Legal News And Updates https://www.legalcheek.com/2019/04/arden-university-appoints-ex-bpp-chief-as-vice-chancellor/