A Freshfields lawyer has taken the brazen strategy of using the firm's name in a personal spat, which backfired when the Magic Circle firm took a dim view of the tactic.
The Freshfields lawyer, whom RollOnFriday has decided not to name but let's call him "Mr F", was trying to claim rental payments from "Mr Y" (also a lawyer, but at another firm), which were allegedly due to Mr F's mother. Mr F opted to use his Freshfields email account to send a statement of claim to Mr Y for the rent. He also wrote in correspondence that he would instruct local counsel via Freshfields' office in Dubai in order to commence action in the UAE, where Mr Y is based.
Mr Y promptly forwarded the emails to Freshfields and complained that Mr F had issued threats in the firm's name.
The firm's response comprises a salutary lesson for associates tempted to leverage the power of their employer's email address for personal use. In an email seen by RollOnFriday, verified by a spokesman for the firm, Freshfields replied to Mr Y that, "We take matters such as the one you have described very seriously. We do not condone this behavior by any Freshfields employee, and apologize for [Mr F's] unsanctioned actions; [Mr F] was not authorized to engage in the correspondence with you on behalf of the Firm (or otherwise using Firm email). We have taken appropriate steps to deal with this situation. You will not receive any further contact from our Firm regarding this matter."
Tip Off ROF
The Freshfields lawyer, whom RollOnFriday has decided not to name but let's call him "Mr F", was trying to claim rental payments from "Mr Y" (also a lawyer, but at another firm), which were allegedly due to Mr F's mother. Mr F opted to use his Freshfields email account to send a statement of claim to Mr Y for the rent. He also wrote in correspondence that he would instruct local counsel via Freshfields' office in Dubai in order to commence action in the UAE, where Mr Y is based.
Mr Y promptly forwarded the emails to Freshfields and complained that Mr F had issued threats in the firm's name.
Freshfields made its displeasure known via the medium of a tie sign |
The firm's response comprises a salutary lesson for associates tempted to leverage the power of their employer's email address for personal use. In an email seen by RollOnFriday, verified by a spokesman for the firm, Freshfields replied to Mr Y that, "We take matters such as the one you have described very seriously. We do not condone this behavior by any Freshfields employee, and apologize for [Mr F's] unsanctioned actions; [Mr F] was not authorized to engage in the correspondence with you on behalf of the Firm (or otherwise using Firm email). We have taken appropriate steps to deal with this situation. You will not receive any further contact from our Firm regarding this matter."
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However let us not forget the main thing here - some lawyer has not paid this chap's mother - so is evading a debt. in Dubai you can go for prison for that. Reporting someone for professional conduct reasons because you want to avoid your legal obligations is below the belt and the bigger moral wrong here.
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And if I were Mr Y, I would have done exactly the same thing. Pretty straightforward rule of litigation... Don't set up easy goals for your opponent...