BNP barrister sparks debate on workplace ethics
The decision by St Philips Chambers to distance itself from former barrister Roger Grierson, who is to fight a seat for the British National Party (BNP) at the general election, has instigated heated debate among Birmingham lawyers.
Robert Grierson
Wragge & Co senior partner Quentin Poole said: “It’s possible to imagine a situation where an individual apple would taint the whole barrel, but it’s unlikely. We instruct St Philips and I’m quite sure our litigation partners will talk about this and decide what their view is.”
That said, an instructing partner at another Birmingham firm said that if Grierson had remained at the set its business would probably have suffered.
“I think [the set was] worried that in Birmingham there are a number of solicitors from ethnic minorities that instruct the chambers. What it boils down to is money,” he emphasised.
Tax specialist Grierson, who was a door tenant at the set, resigned last Thursday (TheLawyer.com, 25 March) after it emerged that he was to stand for the BNP at the general election.
While political belief is protected by the Bar Council’s equality and diversity code, Matrix Chambers barrister Aileen McColgan said this protection becomes problematic when those political beliefs are extreme.
“The code protects political belief, although the extent to which this would apply where the political belief at issue is, for example, racist is questionable,” she said.
Readers' comments (5)
Appalled barrister | 29-Mar-2010 1:56 pm
How can someone intelligent enough to be a barrister run for a BNP seat? This doesn't do honour to the BNP as much as it brings the barristers' profession into disrepute.
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A.N.Other | 30-Mar-2010 10:08 am
This flies in the face of the stereo-typicalism associated with the BNP's make-up comprising soley of skin-headed hooligans.
It should really give the government concern, if not a stern wakeup call, when respectable professionals choose this avenue of politics.
I note that south wales has a chartered engineer running for a seat on behalf of the BNP too.
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S. Olicitor | 30-Mar-2010 10:36 pm
I'll be reluctant to instruct St Philips from now.
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Robert Morgan | 1-Apr-2010 1:41 am
To Appalled Barrister - I couldn't agree with you more. However, even Dr Goebbels had a real doctorate.
More to the point, have a look at the comments on the previous article about this story. You'd be amazed - nay appalled - at how many closet fascists appear to exist in our ranks.
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fb | 1-Apr-2010 11:49 am
@A.N.Other
I think his membership of the BNP rules him out of 'respectable' immediately. Just goes to show that spending a few years at Uni and a couple in the Inns of Court doesn't confer actual respectability, just the veneer.
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