A Clifford Chance partner has apologised after he was recorded describing a former associate at the firm as a jihadist.

Thomas Baudesson, a litigation partner in the firm's Paris office, was at the end of year dinner for the Paris Bar Council. He had written a song about Avi Bitton, a former associate, now a crusading unionist who fights for downtrodden French associates (see RollOnFridays passim). And he decided to entertain the guests by singing it. Well, singing is a kind word, as Baudesson is no Serge Gainsbourg. But it went down very well regardless, as the YouTube clip shows.

RollOnFriday's French isn't up to much. But it's pretty clear that at the end of the song Baudesson refers to Bitton as a "terroriste" and "jihadiste". Bitton may be a pain in the collective arse of large firms in France, but that's a bit steep. And making public jokes about it as ISIL films its members decapitating people is possibly less than appropriate.

    Baudesson being HILARIOUS yesterday

Still, the firm's Paris partners are not exactly known for their tact. In 2012 CC was ordered to pay €54,000 in compensation and costs after they described a secretary whom the firm dismissed as "surly" and "pig-headed".

Baudesson, after presumably being cajoled, begged and then beaten by the Paris Managing Partner, issued a predictably mealy-mouthed and unrepentant statement. "The comments were made at a private dinner. They were intended to be humorous but in retrospect I acknowledge that they aren't appropriate in the wider context, and I regret that."

Bitton told RollOnFriday that Baudesson would "have made a better pop star than a lawyer".
 
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Comments

Anonymous 24 October 14 08:58

They do things differently in France. 25% of the electorate votes National Front: no one would have seen anything wrong with this.

Anonymous 24 October 14 09:56

Andy Street was right - sclerotic, hopeless and downbeat - stay away from France if you want to do business.

Anonymous 24 October 14 17:22

In France they work to live rather than live to work. If only the UK was more like that we'd all be a bit happier.