Exclusive: SRA has received complaint and is considering “next steps”
A spokesperson for the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has confirmed to Legal Cheek it is looking into a new complaint made about Alan Blacker, aka Lord Harley.
The controversial former ‘solicitor-advocate’ was struck off last year following a two-day hearing at the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT). The SDT found the SRA had proven seven out of eight charges made against Blacker, some of which concerned “inaccurate and misleading” statements he had made about his academic qualifications and professional memberships.
Blacker was brought to the SRA’s attention in part because of his eccentric LinkedIn page. Still live, the page contains a number of bold claims. For example, he professes to be a Transactional Analysis Psychoanalytical Psychologist; a Fellow of the Zoological Society of London; a Licensed Boiler Examiner; and a Stanford University graduate, among many (many) other things.
Though it states he was solicitor-advocate only until July 2016 (when he was struck off), notably his LinkedIn profile still claims the following: he is a Full Member of the Industrial Law Society; a Senior trial and appeal Counsel Civil Grade A (highest) Criminal Level 4 (highest); a member of the American Bar Association; a Legal Advisor and Secretary at Action for Pakistan; a Lawyer Member at Lawyers Without Borders; a Volunteer Lawyer at the Society of Asian Lawyers; and a Full Member of the Solicitor Advocates Association of Higher Rights Advocates. His LinkedIn headline is ‘Pro bono Senior counsel in civil and criminal proceedings with Grade A and Grade 4 accreditation. (Highest)’.
When the Legal Cheek team contacted the SRA about this, we were told the matter has been reported to the regulator and it is looking into it. Though the precise nature of the report cannot be disclosed, a spokesperson said:
We are aware of this particular issue and are gathering all the relevant information before deciding on next steps.
Blacker continues to use his LinkedIn profile frequently. Just last week he left the following comments on a criminal law barrister’s post about the art of advocacy:
Blacker did not respond to Legal Cheek’s request for comment.
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