A law firm which announced with great fanfare that one of its solicitors had won an award has deleted all evidence of the victory after questions were raised about the accolade's legitimacy.
Last week Scottish firm Shepherd & Wedderburn announced on its website that Leigh Herd had been crowned "Business Premises Solicitor of the Year" by a publication called Finance Monthly. The firm celebrated her achievement in a post on its website titled "Prestigious award for Shepherd and Wedderburn Solicitor".
A similar report appeared on ScottishLegal.com describing how Herd had won a "prestigious accolade at the Finance Monthly Global Awards 2017". She is quoted as saying, “It’s such an honour to be singled out for this award by clients and professional peers in the sector. I would like to express my gratitude to those who nominated me for this prestigious award, to the judges who chose me from such an impressive list of finalists, and to my colleagues at Shepherd and Wedderburn for all their support”.
However, when contacted about the prestigious award, the firm blocked public access to its article.
Like the joke awards recently exposed by RollOnFriday, in return for a prize, winners are encouraged to purchase a profile page in the awards magazine and a trophy. Shepherd & Wedderburn, along with Clarke Willmott ("Agricultural Law Firm of the Year UK 2017") and Osborne Clarke ("Regulatory Communications Law Firm of the Year UK"), all appeared in the 2017 "Winners' Magazine".
Finance Monthly does not solely rely on professionals coming to it for an ego salve. A solicitor told RollOnFriday, "I am delighted to say that Finance Monthly Global awarded me their 'Consumer and Civil Rights Solicitor of the Year UK' award", informing her via an unsolicited email. "Sadly, not having a handle growing out of my head, I sensed a scam". She said the warning signs included the fact that she did "almost no consumer work and no civil rights work" and "they invited me to pay £249 plus VAT for my trophy".
Finance Monthly is part of a stable of web magazines including Lawyer Monthly, Corporate Travel Awards and CEO Today. Until 2017 they were the property of Parity Media Ltd, which was owned by its two directors, Mark and Andrew Palmer. But, in a worrying sign that not enough lawyers are buying spray-painted cups, Parity Media collapsed into administration in January owing £499,000 to unsecured creditors. None of the money was deemed recoverable. But Finance Monthly endured thanks to a company called Universal Media Ltd, which snapped up Parity Media's assets in a pre-pack deal for £50,000. As it happens, Universal Media is also owned by the Palmers, who run their awards empire from an office in Lichfield. Winning the award for Best Bankruptcy 2017, Parity Media's administration is ongoing due to the identification by the administrator of "some areas that require further investigation". Universal Media did not respond to requests for comment.
A Shepherd & Wedderburn spokesman declined to provide details of Herd's fellow finalists, saying, “Leigh is an outstanding lawyer who consistently receives positive feedback from clients and is highly valued by the firm. Leigh’s experience and the quality of her work is reflected in the high regard in which she is held by her colleagues, peers in the legal profession and clients alike”.
Tip Off ROF
Last week Scottish firm Shepherd & Wedderburn announced on its website that Leigh Herd had been crowned "Business Premises Solicitor of the Year" by a publication called Finance Monthly. The firm celebrated her achievement in a post on its website titled "Prestigious award for Shepherd and Wedderburn Solicitor".
A similar report appeared on ScottishLegal.com describing how Herd had won a "prestigious accolade at the Finance Monthly Global Awards 2017". She is quoted as saying, “It’s such an honour to be singled out for this award by clients and professional peers in the sector. I would like to express my gratitude to those who nominated me for this prestigious award, to the judges who chose me from such an impressive list of finalists, and to my colleagues at Shepherd and Wedderburn for all their support”.
"You love me. You really love me!" |
However, when contacted about the prestigious award, the firm blocked public access to its article.
Like the joke awards recently exposed by RollOnFriday, in return for a prize, winners are encouraged to purchase a profile page in the awards magazine and a trophy. Shepherd & Wedderburn, along with Clarke Willmott ("Agricultural Law Firm of the Year UK 2017") and Osborne Clarke ("Regulatory Communications Law Firm of the Year UK"), all appeared in the 2017 "Winners' Magazine".
Finance Monthly does not solely rely on professionals coming to it for an ego salve. A solicitor told RollOnFriday, "I am delighted to say that Finance Monthly Global awarded me their 'Consumer and Civil Rights Solicitor of the Year UK' award", informing her via an unsolicited email. "Sadly, not having a handle growing out of my head, I sensed a scam". She said the warning signs included the fact that she did "almost no consumer work and no civil rights work" and "they invited me to pay £249 plus VAT for my trophy".
Finance Monthly is part of a stable of web magazines including Lawyer Monthly, Corporate Travel Awards and CEO Today. Until 2017 they were the property of Parity Media Ltd, which was owned by its two directors, Mark and Andrew Palmer. But, in a worrying sign that not enough lawyers are buying spray-painted cups, Parity Media collapsed into administration in January owing £499,000 to unsecured creditors. None of the money was deemed recoverable. But Finance Monthly endured thanks to a company called Universal Media Ltd, which snapped up Parity Media's assets in a pre-pack deal for £50,000. As it happens, Universal Media is also owned by the Palmers, who run their awards empire from an office in Lichfield. Winning the award for Best Bankruptcy 2017, Parity Media's administration is ongoing due to the identification by the administrator of "some areas that require further investigation". Universal Media did not respond to requests for comment.
A Shepherd & Wedderburn spokesman declined to provide details of Herd's fellow finalists, saying, “Leigh is an outstanding lawyer who consistently receives positive feedback from clients and is highly valued by the firm. Leigh’s experience and the quality of her work is reflected in the high regard in which she is held by her colleagues, peers in the legal profession and clients alike”.
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If an individual or, worse, organisation, is willing to trumpet any old disingenuous tat about their qualifications, awards, etc., it seems to me to be a short leap of the imagination to all the other lies they'd be willing to tell to further their business. I think this shizzle is serious and should be stamped on hard by a higher authority than just ROF.
Am I alone in this? Am I being unnecessarily po-faced? Don't get me wrong, I enjoy these stories in a Nelson Muntz "ha-ha" kind of way but the joy at seeing someone's hubris deflated is tempered a bit by also being really, really angry.
Possibly I'm being a prig. What do you reckon, ROFfers?
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