Bristol and Oxford students law societies also left out of pocket as millionaire ex-KWM partners join new firms
A report collated by the administrators of now defunct King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) reveals the firm owes BPP Law School, the University of Bristol and the University of Oxford almost a quarter of a million pounds.
Of the three, BPP Law School has been the hardest hit by some distance. The once well-respected City firm owes the university’s student finance office £236,000.
This is because BPP used to provide Graduate Diplomas in Law (GDL) and Legal Practice Courses (LPC) for future KWM trainees. In January this year, shortly before the firm went under, a spokesperson told Legal Cheek:
All of our KWM GDL and LPC students will still be able to complete their programmes with us.
This morning BPP reiterated its position as it moved to cover the unlucky ex-KWM future trainees’ legal education costs.
In addition to the BPP debts, the report reveals KWM owes the University of Bristol Students’ Union £1,700 and the Oxford Law Society £1,080. Bristol is yet to respond to our request for comment. A spokesperson for Oxford Law Society told us it “does not share information regarding payment and invoices with outside sources.”
There are a number of other universities mentioned in the 90-page administrator’s proposal. The University of York’s finance department is apparently owed £693, University of Leeds’ finance office £204 and King’s College London’s credit control department £1,068. University College London is listed as being owed £1,374, while The University of Law is entitled to £4,801.
Swathes of rich partners left KWM in the run up to its shutdown, joining top corporate law firms across the City of London. In 2015, profit per equity partner at KWM was £610,000.
Previously:
I’ve been paid! QC dismisses report claiming she is owed £200,000 following collapse of KWM [Legal Cheek]
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