Ex-Pinsents lawyer gets community service over trainee ABH

Ex-Pinsent Masons solicitor Edward Lowdell pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm at Blackfriars Crown Court on 1 August after initially claiming that he acted in self defence (2 August 2012). He was sentenced at the same court on 3 August and received a 12-month community order, requiring him to complete 100 hours of unpaid work.

The circumstances of the offence date back to 25 March 2011. Lowdell was at a Pinsent Masons office party celebrating the launch of the firm’s Crown Place, London headquarters when he and a few colleagues moved to a pub to continue drinking. In the early hours of the morning, after finishing at the pub, Lowdell attacked Pinsents trainee Ross Knight, putting him in a headlock and repeatedly punching him.

Pinsents began an investigation into the incident, but Lowdell resigned before it completed. Knight completed his training contract but then left the firm in August 2011. Knight now works as a solicitor for a construction company.

Knight’s solicitor, EMW consultant Trevor Jenkin, said that he was now considering the circumstances surrounding Knight’s departure. One possibility is that Knight could bring a civil action against his old firm.