Exclusive: He will no longer be able to access it
The LinkedIn profile of controversial former lawyer Lord Harley has been “restricted” following an internal investigation by the social networking giant, Legal Cheek can reveal.
Harley — whose real name is Alan Blacker — hit headlines back in 2014 following a bust-up with Judge Wynn Morgan at Cardiff Crown Court. Unhappy with the then solicitor advocate’s appearance, the experienced judge described him “as like something out of Harry Potter”.
With the national newspapers lapping up the quirky comparison, Legal Cheek (thanks to some internet sleuthing) stumbled across the real story — Blacker’s epic LinkedIn page.
Highlights at the time included being 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.
But it would appear that the eccentric online CV is no more. A spokesperson for LinkedIn told us:
I can confirm that we received a false profile claim on that account, after checks by our investigation team the account was restricted.
Legal Cheek understands that “restricted” means Blacker can no longer access his profile, nor can other members see the profile on the site’s search facility or their personal network. We undertook a manual search for Harley’s profile this morning but were unable to find it.
Blacker did not respond to Legal Cheek’s request for comment.
The news comes almost a year after Blacker was booted out of the legal profession. A Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal found that the Solicitors Regulation Authority had proven seven out of eight charges against Blacker, including dishonesty. One charge in relation to misleading Judge Wynn Morgan was not proven.
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