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Top Stories 2012

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Exclusive: Allen & Overy partner unwittingly takes clients to hostess club
05 October 2012
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Allen & Overy has confirmed that one of its partners and counsel visited a notorious club in Singapore with some banking clients.

The group went drinking at the club on Outram Road in Singapore, for which a polite description would be a "hostess bar". A more accurate one would apparently be a "knocking shop". RollOnFriday's man on the ground in Singapore says it's well known as a place where businessmen sing a little karaoke, spend $500 on a bottle of whisky and then engage in "very high end sucky sucky" with the hostesses.

It appears to have been a genuine mistake. The two lawyers were on a flying visit from another office, the client suggested that they meet up at the Lido Palace, and the partner thought it was just a karaoke bar. Apparently whilst there were a lot of women around, they were all fully clothed, and there was definitely no sucky sucky for any member of the partner's group at any time.

    I thought it was a karaoke bar, m'lud

A spokesman for the firm said that it had a policy of not visiting such establishments, but the partner had been told to go there by the client and was unaware of its reputation.
 

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anonymous user
05/10/2012 10:59
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hardly news is it?
anonymous user
05/10/2012 12:00
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"A spokesman for the firm said that it had a policy of not visiting such establishments"

This would be a policy they don't enforce very well!

I have personally visited several of Bangkok's more interesting nightspots in the company of A&O partners. They never mentioned anything about an off-limits policy.
anonymous user
05/10/2012 15:00
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I'm probably very naive, but what sort of firm has an express policy that partners and staff should NOT visit "knocking shops"?
anonymous user
05/10/2012 20:00
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Not one that I'd join that's for sure!
anonymous user
07/10/2012 16:03
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I have to say that the quality of comments on this site is miles ahead of those on legalweek.com or thelawyer.com.

Lawyers and dodgy establishments go hand in hand (there's probably a joke there, but I won't make it). Probably something to do with the thrill of the transgression, or alternatively having to keep up appearances all day in the office...
anonymous user
10/10/2012 16:52
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Firstly, your headline seems to be libellous. The lawyers didn't take their clients there. The clients suggested they went.

Secondly, I agree with whoever said, above, that it's dumb any law firm having a policy that its staff shouldn't go to brothels or strip bars. Even dumber is the fact that Allen & Overy dignified this "news" story with a comment. What on earth were they thinking? This is what "decline to comment" was made for.

Thirdly, who doesn't visit a knocking shop from time to time when on a business trip? What is so remarkable about it in this day and age?
anonymous user
10/11/2012 05:32
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Same at law firms the world over - In Sydney this is a standard client entertainment avaliable from law firm Wotton + Kearney. Clients 'lap up' their boys night out offerings.