Top law firms still chose Oxbridge over ‘barrow boys’

Top law firms still chose Oxbridge over ‘barrow boys’

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23909093-top-law-firms-still-chose-oxbridge-over-barrow-boys.do

A partner at one of the London firms told Dr Ashley: “There was one guy who came to interviews who was a real Essex barrow boy. He had a very good CV, he was a clever chap, but we just felt that there's no way we could employ him. I just thought, putting him in front of a client — you just couldn't do it.”

Reply 1

hobnob

Original post by intellectual1

But surely that example has nothing to do with Oxbridge? :erm:

For all we know, this so-called 'Essex barrow boy' may well have been a Cambridge graduate - after all, the whole point is that the law firm ruled him out despite his good CV, so the implication is that his university had nothing to do with the law firm's decision and they discriminated against him purely on the basis of his innate working-class-ness, or whatever.

Reply 2

Drewski

Private Company Seeks To Maintain Corporate Professional Image Shocker! Run to the tabloids for more information on this horrible attempt at making money!

Reply 3

ilovedubstep

Original post by hobnob

But surely that example has nothing to do with Oxbridge? :erm:

Yeah I don't understand it completely either, but I think these law firms think Oxbridge graduates are less likely to be working class. Which is probably true.

Reply 4

Drewski

Original post by ilovedubstep

Yeah I don't understand it completely either, but I think these law firms think Oxbridge graduates are less likely to be working class. Which is probably true.

Or maybe it's just that they don't want someone who sounds like they're an actor in Eastenders, regardless of education, as it doesn't sound professional?

Reply 5

hobnob

Original post by ilovedubstep

Yeah I don't understand it completely either, but I think these law firms think Oxbridge graduates are less likely to be working class. Which is probably true.

Well, the article quoted from interviews with two different people from two different law firms. One gave the example of 'barrow-boy' being unsuitable despite his qualifications, and the other talked about his firm's decision to focus on recruiting people from particular universities and how he thought this had improved the quality of applicants. They're really two separate points which were made by two different people, probably in different contexts. The claim of the headline is purely down to the person who wrote the article, who decided to throw those two quotes together and present them as illustrating the same phenomenon, when it seems likely that they don't: One is all about wanting employees to convey a certain image (which supposedly isn't possible if people have a certain appearance or accent), with no mention of universities; the other is all about a law firm trying to find recruiting strategies which will improve the overall quality of applications, with no mention of class.
So I can't quite help thinking that this is fairly shoddy journalism, because this Paul Cheston is clearly trying to make it sound as though both quotes were from the same interview. :erm:

Oh well.

Reply 6

nulli tertius

Original post by intellectual1

That says something about their client base. There would be plenty of commercial firms where someone like that would get on like a house on fire with self-made men.

Moreover, barristers' clerks who earn more than many of their barristers speak cockney professionally.

Reply 7

jjarvis

Original post by nulli tertius

That says something about their client base. There would be plenty of commercial firms where someone like that would get on like a house on fire with self-made men.

This thought occurred to me as well. There are surely commercial clients who'd feel more comfortable with a solicitor who spoke like that--and surely others who don't give a toss about their solicitors' accents as long as they're competent and professional.

Reply 8

House of Jonny

I dont get this. The guy could have been an oxbridge student for all we know. He was just turned down because of his "image" if you were suing someone say.......for breaking your ....house down. Would you want someone for example smacks loudly on gum and finishes his sentances with the words
"innit fam" not that essex people do that

Reply 9

Tha_Black_Shinobi

Original post by Drewski

Or maybe it's just that they don't want someone who sounds like they're an actor in Eastenders, regardless of education, as it doesn't sound professional?

I think rejecting an extremely competent applicant simply because of their accent is even less professional. I'm pretty sure that a client won't care that one of their solicitors has a cockney accent if they are talented, act in a proffessional manner and have the necessarry legal knowledge, at least they shouldn't care.

Reply 10

Schott

Agree with Nulli Tertius on this one.

I have met loads with strong regional accents at large commercial firms. Doesn't seem a problem. Where it WOULD be a problem is with somewhere like Withers, and especially Farrer & Co. They're big private client firms and their clients can be exceedingly 'posh'. I know a partner who was originally at Farrers; a client of Farrers; and also someone who's friends with a partner there and they all give the same impression. My friend even said when he was at a meal with a partner there the partner monitored how he used his knife and fork!

Reply 11

Lord_Farquad

Well duh, if I'm employing a MC firm, I don't want no chavvy tool talking to me.

Reply 12

Shaun1991

Well I'm ****ed, if they don't like Essex they're going to hate scouse.

Reply 13

definado

Original post by Tha_Black_Shinobi

The news about the 'barrow boys' worries me slightly. I don't exactly have a cockney accent but am aware that my voice sounds very much "Souf London". Enough that in my first meeting with my academic tutor at uni she even remarked that she could tell right away that I was from London from my accent. I genuinely hope that my background won't count against me in the corporate world and negate all the hard work it would take me to get there. I was aware that the bar was socially elitist but always thought that Corporate Law and the Solicitor profession were more progressive than that.

I think rejecting an extremely competent applicant simply because of their accent is even less professional. I'm pretty sure that a client won't care that one of their solicitors has a cockney accent if they are talented, act in a proffessional manner and have the necessarry legal knowledge, at least they shouldn't care.

Old thread so forgive the weird reply... but I'm sure as long as you don't drop 'you know dem onez','true say' and 'par' you'll do fine.
This is coming 100% from a londoner that gets laughed at all the time in oxford for saying 'allow ______' 'jam' and 'alie'.

Reply 14

Mann18

Original post by Rai

These are said in Yorkshire where I live too.

"Jam your hype" is very big currently.

May I ask, as a Lawyer at Oxford, have you ever experienced any problems with accents at all?