Ince & Co has fired a first year trainee for poor performance.

The unfortunate trainee had been on a performance review and the decision was made to terminate his contract. Ouch. At firm drinks last Thursday evening a partner decided to share the news with the assembled throng before a member of the HR team told him to button his lip.

The process was escalated as a result of the partner's gobbiness, and the unfortunate trainee was given his marching orders the next morning. The rest of his cohort was informed of this at a meeting later that day that had, serendipitously, already been in the diary. They then presumably spent the rest of the day telling any partner who'd care to listen that they would be absolutely delighted to volunteer for some extra work at the weekend.

 

  advice to Ince partners* 
 


A spokesman said "we have always taken great care in the career development of our trainees at Ince & Co and believe we offer an outstanding training programme. Nevertheless, and despite being placed on a performance improvement programme, we took the decision to bring to an end a training contract of one of our first-year trainees purely for reasons of professional standards. This decision was not taken lightly and followed careful consideration within the firm. It is highly regrettable that a partner was overheard discussing the matter, and that partner now accepts that it was inappropriate to have done so."

*nice little nautical gag for a shipping firm, eh? See what we did there?

Tip Off ROF

Comments

Roll On Friday 27 April 18 09:20

Is society or SRA approval still required for dismissal of trainees? If it is then I wonder if SL remembered.

Roll On Friday 27 April 18 10:38

Wow, gotta be pretty dire for that to happen. Unless they caught him being all fraudy or handsy with people or something.

Anonymous 27 April 18 11:39

Ince ought to have reerved SOME dignity for this poor trainee and offered to accept a letter of resignation. Firing a trainee puts both parties in a bad light: this is a firm that will just sack it’s trainees if it can’t be bothered to train people up (not to mention it is led by unprofessional partners who don’t know when to keep their mouths shut); and a trainee was so incompetent that he got fired - ruining all chances of a future in the legal sector. Top management skills, Ince.

Anonymous 27 April 18 14:50

If only certain other firms showed the gumption to get rid of clearly underperforming and unsuitable individuals. Ultimately trainees shouldn't have a carte blanche to produce substandard work and act inappropriately while remaining employed.

Anonymous 27 April 18 22:07

@ 10.39 - Competency reviews almost never have anything to do with actual competence. They're a classic and unpleasant tool of bad and bullying managers used to get rid of people while attempting to limit the damage to themselves by fvcking the victim's reputation. All carried out via processes that fall far short of the standards of evidence and fair hearings applicable in court procedure.

Anonymous 28 April 18 10:59

I thought you needed SRA approval to sack a trainee? I hope they went through all the procedures.

It sounds like it was the quality of the work which was the problem in which case could they not have helped the person improve?

Anonymous 28 April 18 15:20

It's not beyond the realm of possibility that the trainee pissed off someone senior, they wanted him out and an excuse / method was found to make it happen. It wouldn't be the first time. A throwaway joke at someone else's expense is all it takes. On the other hand he might be incompetent, obnoxious or just an idiot.

Does anyone know the person involved? Give us the gossip.

Anonymous 03 May 18 08:28

If a trainee performs badly enough that you end up wanting to sack them, it's invariably your fault in some way.

Anonymous 05 May 18 06:10

Heard from a mate who works at Ince that said trainee was so incompetent he left people wondering if he’d actually been to law school. Firm’s fault for failing to screen him out though.

Anonymous 01 October 18 23:03

It’s upsetting to read this. They should have accepted a resignation. He will find another job soon,hopefully within the legal industry if it’s what he wants. Lots of people get fired. Some of the most successful people in the world have been fired. Only way now is up. Looking back at this, he’ll realise Ince did him a massive favour.