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Freshfields trainee crowned April Fool 2009
10 April 2009
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April Fool of the Year 2009 goes to a trainee at Freshfields' London office, who genuinely thought that he was in with a chance of spending a week at a five star hotel in the Bahamas, sharing a beach hut with a hot French associate.

A litigation associate kicked things off by sending the following email to all trainees:

  Â

 

From: Associate
Sent: 01 April 2009 10:13
To: London Trainee Solicitors
Subject: Trainee capacity request

Dear all,

We received an instruction last night from a UK investment fund client. The fund owns a Bahamian resident holding company which has been threatened with litigation. Although we do not normally take on this type of discovery work, there is no suitable local firm with such capabilities.

Accordingly, our client has requested that someone from our office is sent out to the Bahamas in order to undertake some preliminary discovery work on their Bahamian company, Looflirpa Ltd. You would need to be available for most of next week. I realise that this may be fairly inconvenient, but on the positive side you would be put up in the Sandals Hotel, which is located near to the client (http://www.sandals.com/main/bahamian/ba-home.cfm).

We also understand that the data room opening hours are 9am to 3pm, so you may have a small amount of free time in the afternoons/evenings.

As the DR trainees are pretty snowed under at the moment, I have opened this up to everyone. Please let me know if you have capacity to help out.

Thanks,

Associate

 

 

 

  

                         
Neither the date of the email nor the name of the client was enough to prevent a number of trainees - no doubt the poorer performers in last autumn's quiz - being completely suckered. And the associate led one particular trainee along mercilessly (read from the top down):

  Â

From: Hopeful Trainee
Sent: 01 April 2009 10:16
To: Associate
Subject: RE: Trainee capacity request

I'm free.

 

-------------------------------------

 

From: Associate
Sent: 01 April 2009 10:25
To: Hopeful Trainee
Subject: RE: Trainee capacity request

Thanks Hopeful Trainee, that's great.

I can't give you confirmation yet, but two preliminary questions for you:

1. We need to be quite careful with conflicts - have you heard of that company before?

2. The client is sending me emails about booking the accommodation - would you prefer a room in the main building or one in a wooden hut actually on the beach? Apparently you can hear the sea from the latter and it bothers some people.

 

-------------------------------------

 

From: Hopeful Trainee
Sent: 01 April 2009 10:27
To: Associate
Subject: RE: Trainee capacity request

Never heard of them before.

Beach hut sounds pretty great.

 

-------------------------------------

 

From: Associate
Sent: 01 April 2009 10:56
To: Hopeful Trainee
Subject: RE: Trainee capacity request

Thanks. Will let you know as soon as I have more info on timing.

There is a French angle to this as well (claimant is based in Paris), so it looks likely that [hot French associate] from our Paris office might be going with you.

 

Client is still sending me emails re:accommodation, but is currently insisting on booking only one room as rates are high. Would you be OK sharing a room if necessary?

-------------------------------------

From: Hopeful Trainee
Sent: 01 April 2009 11:05
To: Associate
Subject: RE: Trainee capacity request

[Goes onto firm's stalkernet, checks out hot French associate, pops his cork].

 

That's fine. Do you have a client/matter number for this or is it just non-billable?

 

-------------------------------------


From: Associate
Sent: 01 April 2009 11:19
To: Hopeful Trainee
Subject: RE: Trainee capacity request

I haven't had time to open the matter yet, but we should be able to bill most of it.

Could you do a little bit of initial internet research please? One of the few bits of info I have is that the Bahamian company has been involved in music promotion - specifically representing Bahamian artists who make "rake and scrape" music and distributing them into the French market. I am not really up to speed with what "rake and scrape" is - could you maybe have a look on the internet and send me some background. I don't really want to ask the client! Thanks.

-------------------------------------

From: Hopeful Trainee
Sent: 01 April 2009, 11:59

To: Associate

This explains everything you could possibly want to impress the client... and more.

There is a link at the bottom to listen to some.

http://bahamasentertainers.com/Paper/rkeNscr.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qneSWfo51sU

 

  

A spokesman for the firm said "this is not quite in the league of the "spaghetti tree" but it still caused a lot of disappointment for the trainee whose hopes were so abruptly dashed. We also spare a thought for half his colleagues who were already queuing up at Heathrow waiting for the go-ahead".

A compensatory RollOnFriday T shirt is on its way to the trainee.