Gongs come despite 2016 strike-off
Former solicitor advocate Alan Blacker seems to have moved past his regulatory troubles, winning not one, but two “prestigious” legal awards.
Blacker, aka Lord Harley, first hit headlines back in 2014 following an altercation with a Cardiff Crown Court judge who described his appearance as “like something out of Harry Potter” on account of a number of colourful ribbons attached to his robes.
Two years later he was struck off after multiple misconduct charges were proven, including making statements about his academic qualifications that were “inaccurate and misleading”.
Since being removed from the profession, Blacker has been convicted of benefit fraud, banned from running a charity for 15 years for ignoring an earlier suspension, and barred from CILEx membership for at least ten years after failing to disclose past misdeeds.
Despite the questionable track record, Harley and his legal charity, JAFLAS (Joint Armed Forces Legal Advocacy Service), have recently bagged legal awards: the “Best Pro Bono Legal Services Practice 2024” and the “UK Legal Client Service Excellence Award 2024”
Blacker and over 220 other prize winners received their gongs from SME News in recognition of their “excellence, innovation, and leadership in the legal sector and society”.
On the awards, SME News says:
“The UK Legal Awards 2024 is a merit-based awards programme meaning that the winners are determined by their performance, achievements, and contributions, rather than by the number of votes or nominations they receive. There are a broad range of categories that aim to cover all different areas of expertise and specialisation in the legal sector.”
Whilst the awards are “entirely free to enter”, lucky winners “are welcome to select from our range of competitively priced promotional opportunities to increase exposure of the good news”.
Blacker’s awards page, first spotted by RollOnFriday, also contains a quote from the former lawyer himself.
“We are humbled to receive this award as a mark of our client’s unremitting appreciation of our work,” writes Blacker. “Dr Alan Blacker & Co CIC provides services to members of the public who are vulnerable through poverty, illness, disability, or social marginalisation.”
Blacker goes on to quote what appear to be glowing references, with one describing him as the “Mozart of the Courtroom” and another praising his work as being of “outstanding public benefit”.
SME News and Blacker have been approached for comment.