SOAS vs. Durham LLB

and what's that got to do with the quality of SOAS's law school exactly?

(also, freedom of speech when it suits I guess. Some of the people calling for him to be sacked were probably also the people standing up for freedom of speech a few weeks prior)

Nothing. I just thought it was amusing for faculty members to be boasting about CC's uptake of SOAS grads whilst CC is presumably wishing it had never hired this guy.

I'm almost certain they dislike him as a person, not the institution he was educated at. That's a bit far fetched, to assume that those values were derived from his place of education.

I never assumed that they were.

That said, if we're going to go down this route, it's not necessarily as far-fetched as you suggest. Numerous university Islamic societies have faced criticism for Islamic speakers they have been seen to promote, SOAS' included. The February of the year Chaudhry joined SOAS (by my calculations - he was reportedly 22 back in January), the university's Islamic society hosted Azzam al-Tamimi, a speaker who said in his speech during the visit:

"You shouldn’t be afraid of being labelled extreme, radical or terrorist. If fighting for your home land is terrorism, I take pride in being a terrorist. The Koran tells me if I die for my homeland, I’m a martyr and I long to be a martyr."

Ibrahim el-Moussaoui, described as a spokesperson for Hezbollah, was booked to speak at SOAS on a course in 2009 but was prevented from entering the country by the Home Secretary. During the same course el-Moussaoui was supposed to speak at, another speaker (Ismail Patel) praised Hamas, calling it 'one of the noblest resistance movements he had come across'.

Of course, SOAS is not the only university where these sorts of views have incubated, and it may not be the most extreme example either. But these are just a few examples I found from around the time Chaudhry started there after a quick Google search, so I don't think it's beyond question that he may have developed his views as a student at SOAS.

I see where you derive your views and argument from, but I'm speaking of a more broadly scoped scenario. As in, would CC look at my CV and say "Damn, she's of Middle Eastern background and got her LLB at SOAS, we've got another ISIS member on our hands"? What that guy did proves he is a jacka** but I don't think that it applies to everyone. If I had a beard, maybe.

It's doubtful. I have no inside track on what discussions are going on behind closed doors at CC, but I doubt that they would allow the views of one SOAS grad to colour their view of the rest. I didn't intend my comment (a fairly offhand one expressing amusement at the boastful mention of CC's relationship with SOAS) as an earnest smear on the university's LLB programme or the employability of its graduates. I myself graduated from UCL, which has had its own fair share of negative press from Islamic extremism (although I'm not aware of any UCL grads putting law firm employers in the spotlight like this chap). This news story wasn't helped by the 'f***ing people over for money' gaffe involving another trainee which plagued the firm a year or so before. Either CC has been unlucky or it needs to more strongly consider the judgment of the trainees it hires, as well as their grades and accolades.

CC, like most large City firms, values 'international perspective' in applicants. It also has a leading Islamic finance practice, as well as an eminent presence in the oil and gas sector. SOAS provides unusual modules which could help applicants demonstrate interests in line with what the firm happens to value. That being said, I think Durham has the better reputation as a university. Which of those is more decisive for you is a matter of preference.