Shoosmiths chief exec steps down in wake of trainee deferral row

Readers' comments (23)

• Anonymous | 22-May-2009 12:46 pm

  I think the biggest surprise about this is if it actually comes as a surprise to anyone! I wonder how Tom and George feel now, it is particularly impressive to provoke the resignation of your Chief Exec before even starting, a fine addition to the CV!
  I did enjoy:
  
  “He felt the time was right to hand his leadership role to someone new to shape the next chapter in our history. He’s leaving us amicably and we wish him all the very best.”
  
  Though would have preferred "he made a calamitous decision highlighted by an equally disastrous attempt at cheap publicity and we needed a scapegoat".
  
  Oh Shoosmiths. I'm embarrassed by this and don't even work for you!

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• Shoowine Flu | 22-May-2009 1:38 pm

  The man had to go as soon as he blurted out this nugget:
  
  “I don’t regret not offering any compensation to our trainees because we spent lots of time making the ­decision,” Stothard says bullishly. “The only way I would have regretted it was if we had been careless in our decision-making.”
  
  A hopeless decision is a hopeless decision, regardless of whether it took a micro-second or a month to muster.
  
  Good luck to Claire Rowe who will have to undertake a monumental charm offensive to salvage their reputation.

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• poosmith | 22-May-2009 2:37 pm

  Next time people like Stothard and the partners of the firm who were apart of the decision should put their morals before their greedy fat paycheck.
  poosmith rep had severely been damaged. absolute disgrace..this negative vibe would ring alarm bells to other firms who think they can treat trainees like rubbish.

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• Anonymous | 22-May-2009 5:25 pm

  Good grief! This makes me glad that there are still Firms (like Field Grieb for example) capable of avoiding such elephant traps. Lord only knows a good dose of Kentish commonsense is at a premium at the moment.

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• Anonymous | 22-May-2009 10:30 pm

  The training is very good at shoosmiths, yes they made the wrong choice and PS paid for it.. greed is why we in this situation,

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• Anonymous | 23-May-2009 8:32 am

  I always thought Paul was a nice chap, I hope none of this nonsense contributed to his decision to go, he did double the turnover after all, I suppose mass redundancies and god only know how awful their figures will be was the driving decision. Good luck Claire, lovely lady and I am sure will do a great job, Shoosmiths certainly need it.

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• Anonymous | 23-May-2009 1:09 pm

  I don't expect the change at the top to have an impact on the firm's policies. Trainees would be well advised to take this opportunity to reconsider shoosmiths altogether.

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• Anonymous | 24-May-2009 6:21 pm

  The majority of Scottish firms are deferring trainees without any sort of compensation

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• a GC | 25-May-2009 9:26 pm

  Perhaps a GC's perspective would be helpful to the new management regime. The firm's profound lack of judgment as to how it handled its trainees has disqualified Shoosmiths from handling any work for me for at least the next few years, regardless of whom is now sitting in the CEO's chair. If this is the "business approach" that is taken towards any firm's most important asset - its people - I have no confidence that the firm will be to properly advise me on strategic issues. Shoosmiths might also take into account that we have a huge variety of choice as to whom we use, and most GCs will choose to deal with firms that maintain at least some balance of principles with their profits. Any firm that does not understand the long-term consequences of these types of short-sighted decisions - and in particular the negative impact upon the quality of any future trainees the firm eventually stoops so low as to employ affect, whom will presumably move on to be the lawyers actually handling client work and making important decisions - is on the road to oblivion.

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• Anonymous | 26-May-2009 3:56 am

  A PR own goal definately but why have the marketing and PR people got off so lightly? They should have briefed the senior team on an immediate crisis strategy and tried to help stem further damage to the brand. it seems like they just sat back and let it happen. Obviously a a third class marketing and PR team without any ideas. The CEO isn't the only one who should be going......

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