An online GDL and LPC provider has created fake testimonials from made-up students to try to sell its expensive courses.

Chancery Lane Institute for Professionals (based in Dubai rather than Chancery Lane) provides online legal courses for budding lawyers. They charge students US$40,000 to do an integrated 18 month course which they say satisfies the requirements for both the GDL and LPC.

A case study page on its website under the header "Why people are choosing CLIP" contains a string of gushing testimonials from students praising the course.

According to the site, thanks to CLIP, student Maria has saved money, time and avoided the hassle of relocating:


Thanks to CLIP Harris, with his student backpack and laptop, can study in the region he grew up in:


Thanks to CLIP Adam, pictured casually leaning against a library bookcase, can study in a diverse community:


And thanks to CLIP Zara, a local Emirati, can pursue a career in law to work with international clients and expats:


Sounds wonderful. However underneath the profiles a footnote reveals that the dreams that CLIP made true, were all just lies:


To create the fake profiles, CLIP did a "Dawn Ellmore" and used generic stock photos of models rather than pictures of its own students. For example, Adam's face is up for grabs here.

Presumably the reality of what actual students like Sebastian* had to say was too grim for inclusion:


A CLIP spokesman, who may have been busy fielding questions from imaginary students, did not respond to RollOnFriday's request for comment.

* Sebastian is for RollOnFriday illustration purposes only, and not an actual student enrolled on CLIP