He had actually submitted a research paper, which wasn’t even published
A Leeds Metropolitan University law graduate who claimed he had “attended” Yale University on his CV has been slapped with a £2,000 fine by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
According to a regulatory settlement agreement published earlier today, Lee Hull made a number of misleading statements on his CV when he applied for a legal advisor role at Telford outfit Clarkes Legal.
Hull’s CV “gave the impression” that he held a degree at the University of Leeds, when in fact he graduated from Leeds Metropolitan University (now Leeds Beckett University).
Furthermore, the document claimed he attended Yale, a prestigious Ivy League university in the United States, when in reality Hull had actually submitted a research paper for its law review. It was not published.
His CV also suggested he had been called to the bar whereas he had merely completed the Bar Vocational Course (now known as the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC)). Because of this, “he is not entitled to use the term ‘Barrister'”.
Having secured employment with Clarkes Legal, Hull was put in charge of overseeing the progress of a number of the firm’s cases. The regulatory agreement reveals that in 2015, Hull missed a vital court date and attempted to cover up his error by producing and back-dating three letters addressed to the client. Continuing, the report states:
The letters made it appear that Mr Hull had asked for fees from his client in order to proceed with the matter. None of the letters were created on the date on which they appeared. They were all created on 8 July 2015. None of the letters were sent to Mr Hull’s client. Mr Hull made reference to the three letters in a witness statement to the court, in an attempt to explain the missed court date.
Hull — who is no longer employed by Clarkes Legal — claimed he was under “substantial pressure” at work and had taken “medication for depression for several years which affected his judgment [sic].”
Fining him £2,000, the SRA said that Hull had “failed to act with integrity.” One year earlier in February 2016, he accepted a police caution for the offence of fraud by false representation as a result of his CV.
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