This seems very unfair 

Another story that makes me grateful social media didn't exist when I was young

Glad some attention is being drawn to the dangers of cancel culture. He was a kid, and it was unfair of the other person to weaponise those youthful ‘mistakes’ (most of which are defensible even if he uses spicy terms)

Poor bloke.

I read through expecting to see something bad and it's a complete non-story. If Slaughters and the SRA do anything it will be a really poor show and I would hope that the partners and the firm robustly back him up in dealing with the regulator. 

For what it's worth, this business of digging through old social media posts from years ago (particularly when the person concerned was a teenager) is questionable even when the posts are genuinely offensive, but in this case I can't see anything other than a teenage boy engaging in the usual tedious banter with his mates.

Christ. I am so relieved no-one has a written record to recite back to me what I said when I was a teenager. We live and we learn. Stop hammering people for growing up.

8:51 i don’t think rof is hammering him? They go big on the fact the source who ratted him out has it in for the guy - it seems clear where their sympathies lie

This has got "grudge" written all over it.

What kind of psycho trawls someone's ancient social media posts, except 

a) aggrieved ex

b) fellow trainee concerned they won't make the grade, so determined to knobble the opposition

c) journalist

d) A Perfectly Normal Human Being from the discussion board?

Sadly, I suspect that, this being a minor and uncomplicated issue, the SRA will devote their entire capacity to it, probably pulling people off more important things, and crucify Jabo.

Like other commenters, I was expecting to see something genuinely offensive. Instead, this is just some laddish “banter”: funny? No. Tedious? Yes. But I’d bet a large proportion of men who graduated in the mid-00s to mid-2010s have engaged in something similar. 
I very much doubt Slaughter and May’s client base is digging through the historic social media posts of a trainee on their matters.

I really hope they do the right thing and simply tell the guy to be a bit more careful with his privacy settings and let this lie. No one deserves to have their career ruined over some poor taste, but ultimately harmless, social media posts between friends. 

very unpleasant and vindictive from 'anon' to "report" this. 

if anyone has teenage kids please warn them that anything they write may be taken out of context 5 yrs later to attack them and their character 

@ Anonymous 31 January 20 08:49

He was a kid

He was 18 and 19

Good advice, 09:06 nonny.

I've already scared the shit out of my teenage son. He subscribed to an insta channel called "Dirty Memes" or similar. It was actually, as far as I can tell, Overwatch and Star Wars memes, but Mrs Shooty hit the roof about the "dirty" bit as she was concerned that it was pron. 

So I did the dad thing and gave him a lecture about his future, and gave him examples of how things like this can affect your life.

Probably shouldn't have told him about the Claire Swire email, mind. He found that a little TOO interesting.

He will be asked to delete the messages and not engage in that behaviour again and that's all.

The SRA can do fuck all, as the Principles did not apply to him at the relevant time and he has no civil or tribunal judgement against him for the comments.

In fact, the grass as done him a favour as if he was actually a trainee already and these were brought to the SRA and SM's attention having started, the SRA would have jurisdiction now that the new Standards and Regulations have been introduced under Principles 2 and 6 for his conduct out of practise. 

Guess it may need to be referenced in his AD1 to admit him as a solicitor, but cant really see it blocking him to be honest.

This takes a really awful type of person to dig through old social media posts and potentially ruin someone’s career just to satiate their own jealousy. I hope Slaughter & May realise that this is not exclusive behaviour to this person and many people have posted far worse without repercussion.

How many different types of semen are there?  Asking for a friend.

Probably no worse than what gets said between partners at the Christmas party. 

wow. someone really has it in for him

It’s clearly just silly and juvenile banter between teenage boys. Its on fb so foolish for them to have communicated there but it’s clearly meant to be private albeit quite tasteless joking. It’s a disgrace that someone who obviously has a vendetta against this guy is trying to ruin his career over it and that the firm and SRA, presumably both keen to virtue signal and out “woke” eachother, did not just treat the “anonymous” source (ex girlfriend maybe?) with disdain. False accusations of racism are very nasty.
 

So should we all trawl through fb, Instagram, WhatsApp chat groups and report to the SRA any careless use of words or non politically correct JOKES going back 10 years from all our solicitor friends? This is not what the SRA is supposed to be about and it is a huge disservice to the profession, when so much bullying and harrasement does not get properly dealt with, that  they are giving this time. If they do give the guy a hard time, does this mean that they will investigate whenever anyone sends them historical comments that based on today’s standards are deemed acceptable? By who?!

I sincerely hope common sense prevails and that the SRA, instead of destroying this guy and his career, sends a message that they will look unkindly in accusation of this nature and do not expect to be used to settle scores.

And as for you Slaughters, Shame on you for throwing one of your own under the bus.

9:38 - slaughters hasn't thrown him under the bus. It's given the only answer it could.

So glad social meeja wasn't around when I was at uni. This is a complete non-story and is nowhere in the league of what those Exeter students were doing. It's not even offensive. I said and did much worse at uni (also female).

If the anon source is in the legal industry might it be relevant to refer them to the SRA for making unfounded accusations? 

Wow I was expecting much worse. This is nothing compared to the terrible "banter" I am sure exists at the start of my Facebook and used to be on my MySpace.

I really need to make sure I don't fall out with any online trolls...

Whoever submitted this to the SRA and Slaughters needs a slap TBH

None of those posts look particularly bad to me. It's just banter between two teenage friends. 

It would be very disappointing if Slaughters or the SRA do anything more than gently encourage this person to take a look at his historic social media profiles. 

Not true, Anon at 941. Slaughters could have said they do not believe this is a notifiable issue and hence that there is no need to report to or discuss with SRA. Instead, as the article shows, they virtue signal with how “serious” the matter is and that they are discussing with SRA. 

@Disgrace

The whistleblower reported the matter both to Slaughters and the SRA. If you seriously think it was an option for Slaughters to tell the SRA "We're going to ignore this, and you're going to do the same?". Obviously, had only Slaughters been notified, it may well have determined there was no need to contact the regulator, but once the regulator is seized of the matter all you can do is follow their lead (whilst trying to guide them from behind).

Since when has historically making a bad joke or silly comment to a friend been a reportable offence for the SRA to get involved in? They are not the morality police. Similarly for Slaughters, is there a requirement for your trainees to have a sense of humour deemed “acceptable”? Are you going to ask all your future trainees to list out the jokes they ever made before so you can check they meet the required PC standard of your blue blood firm?
 

and before all you Islington Corbynite luvvies and Swinson “lost my seat” liberals  start screaming “Rayceessst” at me, know I am an Indian guy. 

Not a shade on what some companies (read: city law firms' clients) get away with. A sacking would be hypocrisy.

Anon @ 1019, that is simply not correct. You can tell the regulator that you have considered the matter and do not believe it is notifiable to them. If they disagree, they will tell you. I never said Slaughters should ignore it (so please don’t misquote me!) Giving a message you have considered and don’t think it is notifiable is very different from the message Slaughters gave, at least as far as the article suggests. And they must have known the potential damage to the trainee but as I say, under the bus with him!

What shooty said. 

Do spare journos have time in hand to trace which candidate is joining which firm for TC?

Anon @ 10.19 - you could be indian and "Rayceessst". 

Agree with your point though. 

Agree that S&m’s response was justifiable. What else can it say when the whole thing’s gone to the SRA? Even when there’s nothing to it, firms have to go through the motions. The firm’s public statement (if that’s all of it, assume it is) makes no judgment call on the messages other than to say it’s taking the matter seriously - and it could hardly say it’s taking it with a chuckle. I hope it advises him to delete his juvenile banter (from when he was a juvenile) and use it a lesson for the future. 

Also, I thank Christ On his donkey they didn’t have texting, social media or cameras on every phone when I was a teenager. A motivated enemy could have me living in a cave as a pariah otherwise.

Personally I think everything pre-20 whjxh isn’t against the law should be struck from the record. We need to give kids space to f*** up  

SRA needs to get a grip and figure out what they're role and jurisdiction is.  Banter between kids should not concern them.  Senior Partners who flaunt regulations seem too well able for them so they prefer to focus on kids and trainees they can intimidate.  Bully boys repeatedly focusing on easy targets they should be helping not threatening and turning a blind eye to the activities of the big boys. 

Reminds me of not so historic stories from the US of crooked cops making an example of random black kids smoking pot while getting paid off by the dealers/bosses to overlook the millions they're making/importing.

Agree Capt that you can be Indian and Rayceeeest. But as we know, the woke luvvies are far more likely to scream unfounded accusations of racism at white guys they don’t agree with than Indian guys like me :)

Glad to see the general support on the boards for this chap.  Stupid stuff said when he was a kid; there but for the grace of God goes everyone. 

On the other hand, let's consider the malicious actions of "Anonymous Source" who has clearly set about to destroy the career and reputation of another.  Hiding behind the seemingly inassailable walls of woke culture and being offended on somebody else's behalf, the actions of this individual are spiteful and malevolent.  Motivation? Hard to tell on the facts, but the pungent odour of jealousy abounds. 

Seriously though, who tries to destroy somebody else's career in such a targeted, calculated way?  I hope the SRA and the Slaughterhouse see some sense here, and take no further action.  If "Anonymous Source" is also regulated by the SRA, perhaps they ought to consider investigating them for conduct unbecoming of a solicitor or bringing the profession into disrepute?  Unfortunately, they can't withdraw a practing certificate just for "being a nasty, vindictive, cowardly piece of work". What goes around...

Hope the real identity of Anonymous Source becomes known

What a sad life Anonymous Source must lead. Whatever their reasons, it is extremely unprofessional of them to contact both the firm and SRA instead of dealing with their issues in private. 

I hope S&M and the SRA share the same views as the rest of these commenters in knowing that everyone has said some things in their teen years that they probably wouldn't want blasted to the public.

'This has been a public service message to check your privacy settings'

Why don't people edit their social posts before going off to do their training contracts? Totally agree that "Anonymous Source" is a nasty piece of work.

Poor kid, must be going through hell having his future in the balance over this nonsense

This is exactly why I’ve deleted all my old social media posts. “Anonymous Source” is a seriously sad and bitter individual. 

Weaponising a teenager's social media eight years later to torpedo a future TC is some serious Alan B'Stard behaviour. Feel sorry for the guy.

Whoever the source is, sincerely hope common sense prevails and that the SRA and S&M do not reward that kind of devious behaviour. The anonymous source is certainly a menance to society with that mindset. 

That is an insane effort to assassin something as minor as a future trainee. What would that person do if serious economic values were at stake such as clients or a partnership?

Just what everyone else said up there ^^^

Absolute nonsense

What kind of a strange, sad, weird little man takes it upon himself to mount a vendetta such as this?

The most distressing thing is that Slaughters didn't simply invite Anonymous Source to crawl back under the dank and depressing rock from which he'd just emerged.

Jabo sounds like a dick but reporting him like this seems way to harsh.

I’m betting aggrieved ex.  As someone who has been the victim of a specious regulatory report from an angry LIP opponent, I can say that that kind of complaint is the perfect way for someone with a grudge to cause stress to another with zero consequence to him or herself.  Massive amount of paperwork, embarrassing, takes an age to resolve, and even when the regulator decides there’s no issue (as in my case) there’s nothing akin to an adverse costs order or even a judgment telling the complainant off for wasting everyone’s time.  I do see why the system has to be like that, but there is scope for someone with no morals to just take advantage.

If Jabo is cleared by the SRA (or even if he escapes with a reprimand), can he petition the SRA to release the name of the anonymous source in the public interest?

If, as mentioned above, the "source" is connected with the legal profession, the real SRA public interest action seems to be to make an exception to anonymity and let everyone know. 

This would provide notice of this person's frail mental state, which may influence how other lawyers deal with them. Any takers for a pro bono case?

Not much to add to the previous comments. There is an argument for referring the complainant to the SRA or whatever professional body they are a member of, if any, for malicious complaining. S&M ought to have said that while they were referring the complaint to the SRA they had investigated and were not of the opinion that further action was merited.

This is locker room

I am a woke luvvie. 
 

I demand the right to hurl unfounded accusations of racism and sexism and others “isms” against people I have a disagreement with or whose opinions differ to mine, even if it could mean destroying their reputations. I demand the right to take offence on behalf of imagined victims even where none at all was intended and where the so called victim did not take any. I will silence debate and try and control not only what you say but what you think through the constant threat of weaponising minority rights against you. Everything for me is about race and gender and I want  it to be like that for you too. You may call that regression but that is because you are Rayceest! 
 

I am woke and I am a luvvie. If you dare to challenge me I will scream and scream nasty character destroying allegations against you until I am sick.

Assuming of course that Anonymous Source was male Mr Coffee.

Jabo deserves to be sacked for laziness and stupidity.  There's a reason why sloth is one of the 7 deadly sins.  Why didn't he go through his old posts and delete them years ago.

The boy's an idiot and there's no place for him in a grown up workplace.

This is proper bollox.

Unfortunately regulatory bodies (and also the criminal justice system) are now setup in favour of the complainant (who can often remain anonymous), while the 'subject' of their complaint has their life, reputation and possibly future livelihood taken apart.

Bringing the profession into disrepute- give me a break. This is locker room lads chat. Poor taste, yes, but who can honestly say they haven’t done things like this before?

if you want a real example of bringing the profession into disrepute, perhaps look at the people defending terrorists, ambulance chasing and attacking veterans. Now that gives lawyers a bad name in the real world...

This is a bit like the Beckwith case.