RollOnFriday understands that Farrers is going to be royally screwed over on tonight's episode of Newsnight.

Sources have told us that the behaviour of Julian Pike, a prominent Farrers' partner, is to be the subject of a report about News International and the on-going hacking cases. And the allegations against him are explosive. It's alleged that Pike suggested that News International instruct private investigators to look into the backgrounds of lawyers representing phone hacking victims. Sources say that the private investigators were told to obtain birth certificates of the one of the partner's children.

Apparently things had cratered to such an extent that this matter now involves a Magic Circle law firm and the police. Not what you'd expect from the Queen's solicitors.

Watch the BBC tonight and read all about it on Friday. 



UPDATE: The firm was indeed hauled over the coals by Paxman and co. last night. The firm declined to respond to the allegations, saying it needed its client's permission to do so. More revelations are likely to follow. Watch this space.
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Linklaters has handed out a training contract to a student with a remarkably familiar name. Its latest recruit is its outgoing Senior Partner's son, who has beaten about 4,000 other applicants to the plum role.

It's out with the old and in with the new at Links. City legend David Cheyne stepped down from his role as Senior Partner last week to much wailing and gnashing of teeth. After 39 glorious years, he'll be staying on as a consultant. However the firm - perhaps keen to keep a Cheyne on the full-time roster - confirmed it had given a much-coveted training contract to his youngest son Rupert. Hooray.











Linklaters yesterday















Grad rec at Links is a rigorous and sophisticated affair, and there's no suggestion that Cheyne Minimus didn't fully deserve his place. No doubt he was a strong candidate with an excellent academic background (and presumably terrific legal experience gleaned from fireside chats chez Cheyne). But it looks terrible and embarrasses both him and the firm. Most big City firms have a blanket ban on employing partners' children for this exact reason. If Cheyne could get a job at Linklaters, he could get a job pretty much anywhere. So it's difficult to understand why he didn't just hop across the City to Freshfields and step out of his father's shadow.

A spokesman for Linklaters told RollOnFriday that "Linklaters goes to great lengths to attract and recruit the very best people and we are very proud of our success in doing so. Every year we take on 120 trainees through an award-winning graduate recruitment process that is robust, fair and, above all, based on merit. We have taken a positive decision not to exclude anyone from applying to us for a training contract. We would not wish to comment on individual applicants, but each of them will have gone through the same process of in-depth assessments and interviews. Every Linklaters trainee is a remarkable talent and we are confident that only the strongest candidates are offered jobs."
 
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A law firm has offered LLB graduates and part time LPC students "Volunteer Legal Admin and Paralegal Training". For up to 25 hours a week. For up to six months. For no salary.

Havillands & Co is a firm based in Romford, Essex. Its website says that while it's not taking on paralegals or trainees until the end of the year, it has previously introduced a "volunteer service" for "between 3-6 months only". That included legal research, handling calls and drafting letters. The sort of thing a paralegal or trainee might do for actual cash.

A poorly written document on the firm's site explains why it's so difficult to secure a training contract, and extols the benefits of the volunteer programme which trains graduates in groups of three. But however dire the market, will aspiring lawyers really jump at the chance to do this for free? Especially as they are warned to expect "a rigorous interview process".

Havillands yesterday

Err, no. Henry Dele, the firm's COO, said that only one person had gone on the scheme and that was for one month. He said that the firm had envisaged running the programme in partnership with some universities but had abandoned this. It has now entered into a new scheme "in partnership with the job centre and a lot of people has benefited till date". Apparently candidates can work for up to a couple of months, and whilst  they're still not paid expenses are met by the taxpayer. Bargain.

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Rupert Murdoch, News International - Nigel? G'day, Rupert here.

Sir Nigel Chuffs-Gently, Farrer & Co - Ah, hello Rupert, good to hear from you.

RM - My boy's coming in for some stick over this phone tapping misunderstanding. Sort it.

N C-G - Not really our bag, old chap. Hacking into the phones of widows and orphans, deleting messages left for murdered teenagers. It's all a bit, well, grubby. Our client at the Palace wouldn't like it.

RM - Look you pommie sh*t, don't play cute with me. We've paid you a fortune for decades, you can fix this.

N C-G - Actually we can't. Questions raised in parliament, your former editor arrested, inquiries launched, 100,000 members of the public opposing your bid for BSkyB, the PCC disbanded. It's rather out of our field of expertise. Get back in touch when you need some advice on inheritance tax planning for a Titian.

RM - You bastard.

N C-G - Just sack that awful Rebekah woman and have done with it. I'm sure she didn't school very well.

*******

RM - Wayne? Rupert here.

Wayne Groucho-Club, Olswang - Rupert? THE Rupert? Oh sir, it's such an honour, your reputation...

RM - Cut the crap. I've been on the phone all day to over 50 firms, none of them will touch this with a sh*tty stick. Can you fix it?

G-C - Err, well we're slightly conflicted. Our main client is the Guardian, one of our partners sits on one of their boards. I don't think they'd like this very much. In fact I don't think any of our clients would like this very much. Those poor Soham girls? Even we'd have a tough time getting you off the hook for that.

RM - I'll pay you lots of dollar.

G-C - Really? How much?

RM - Lots. And I'll get my boy to namecheck your firm in the announcement. Twice.

G-C - Well every man deserves representation, we clearly have a moral duty to act, innocent until proven guilty and all that. Shut down the paper and announce that you won't feature any advertising in the last edition. Because all your advertisers have pulled out.

RM - Bonza.

G-C - Then re-open it again in a few weeks under the title "The Sun on Sunday". People are very stupid, you know, they're bound to fall for that.

RM - It's a deal. 

G-C - And we'll draft you a completely meaningless code of conduct which you can ignore as you see fit. But at least it looks like you're doing something.

RM - This is gold dust.

G-C - When all this blows over and we've completely trashed both our reputation and yours, please can we have some of your corporate work?

RM - F*ck off.

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Great spot from a typically eagle-eyed Roffer. Well done to Kingston University Law School for singularly failing to note that Halliwells the law firm has been dead for some considerable time, so it's unlikely that it'll be continuing to co-sponsor the Centre for Insolvency Law and Policy.






Although of course there are a few partners who may wish to avail themselves of the advice of the CIPL - what with those pesky letters of claim from the defunct firm's administrators and all...


Remember, if you've spotted something equally silly - please do send it in to the usual address - in the very strictest confidence, of course.
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