Exclusive: BLM checks bins after fired staffer accused of shredding docs

BLM was compelled to rifle through its rubbish after an employee was accused of dumping critical documents in the bin before she left.

The staffer, who until recently worked in the firm's Southampton office, failed her three month probation period. A source told RollOnFriday that on her last day she fed "all her court proceedings into the confidential waste bin including signed defences". And, they claimed, she pinched a copy of the office's client database, the "client matrix", on her way out.

And her leaving speech had a lot more 'feck you you fecking feckers' than they usually do.

However a spokeswoman for the firm told RollOnFriday that nothing important was shredded or nicked. She said that after a colleague "raised concerns regarding court papers being thrown into our confidential waste", the firm "checked those papers to be sure and found that everything placed within the confidential waste at the time of her departure included surplus drafts and copies, which were perfectly appropriate for the confidential waste". She said, "There was absolutely no risk to any of our case work”.

She said the firm also found "no proof that any documents left the firm". And that will only change when the sacked staffer begins tempting clients away like a cut-price Jerry Maguire. In the meantime, at least people noticed when she left, unlike the Managing Partner.

Tip Off ROF

Comments

BLM appears to be the Manuel of the legal profession.

hot news - nothing happens at firm.

that spokeswoman again.....or Tweedledum...no doubt a few aggressive letters are still being exchanged with said ex staffer. Have they threatened you with the SRA or breach of data protection laws yet? Thats their usual tactic....

I don't think the client is worrying.. they have evidently made a decision not to renew the contract. Redundancies will be announced in October if not before.

BLM are a laughing stock. Shambles and its only a matter of time now.

I used to work at BLM and this is typical.
There was a Partner in the Manchester office who thought that scanning documents onto the CMS was against the Data Protection Act.
There was also an incident when someone on their probation period took a file home to work on during the weekend (as the litigated files she inherited had just been collecting dust for over a month).
When she mentioned it during a probationary review the Partners decided there had been a security breach, told the client and it triggered an audit.
No good deed goes unpunished there.

The bin was opened and a lot was found, including sealed court proceedings! I and another fished them out! Spokesperson not being truthful AGAIN

The client matrix would have been easy to hide down her tights on the way out, it is quite a small document.

Did the firm find its integrity in that bin too - i think that has gone missing too!

Bet the real results of the staff survey are probably in that bin too....

Quelle surprise - BLM bashing again! How original.

And so it continues. The laughing stock of the legal world does it again. Bravo, Viv!

@ 12.58 - scab alert or properly deluded staffer - make your mind up!

"Quelle surprise - BLM bashing again! How original"

What do you expect?!! You have only got yourselves to blame BLM. Not bashing but just honest reporting and exposing a firm who are treating staff badly and causing havoc.

redundancies have been announced in southampton..

And now a whole raft of redundancies in the Southampton office has just been announced ..... what the hell is going on?!! Me thinks it's time to leave the sinking ship!

Baiting someone to have a go for my Titanitic reference.....

i dont think its 100% viv's fault that southampton volume are on their way out. I bet a certain EP was hiding in their make shift office with a "do not disturb" sign cello taped to the back of the door.

Anon at 15.54 - the EP you talk of will have convinced themselves that they're blameless...

At least this story is just a twattish ex-employee instead of the twattish senior management for once.

ROF, do another story on Monday about the Southampton redundancies - these comments are often the only place current employees can discuss what's going on. As a current employee I do wonder if we're circling the drain.

Back to work Plebs. Nothing to see here....just some rubbish in a bin.

High probability that any Tenders BLM put forward now will go the same way ______________> bin.

There are no redundancies in Southampton. What evidence is there of this? The office goes from strength to strength.

15.14 should read The Lawyer

@ anonymous 15:14- Hmmm if you were in the firm, you'd have receiving the Friday afternoon mail out stating exactly which team was being made redundant! Strength to strength you say? A sound bite as believable as 'strong & stable'!

15.52. Please then explain the 21% increase in PEP?!!

15.52

How can you say it's gone from strength to strength when Blm have lost countless clients Mod nhsla ageas to name a few. The have announced two batches of redundancies in the space of a few months, Gary Allison has left *huge warning* 9 partners left Southampton office last year( and the rival firm and still poaching) and all you can rely on is 21% increase on PEP? Are you accounting for year 2015-16 when it plummeted by 28%? So in actual fact your 21% increase doesn't sound that great? Pep is for Eps so well done them but what about the rest of the salaries partners, solicitors, fee earners and support staff? they are the ones breaking their backs whilst it's the EP losing contracts and now the ones that work the hardest have lost their jobs!! Ie the 26 people in Southampton which you have just denied happening! I'm gob smacked.

15.52... ps. net profit is down by 12% ... strength to strength you say?

Wow.

Do you have any other stupefying non-news of this nature to share?

Reminds me of a local newspaper headline I once saw: "Man escapes injury"

15.52 A storm in a tea cup. Yes a few redundancies but as Mike Brown says that is as a result of consolidating RTA work in the North. OK accepted a few partners left but these things happen. Southampton and the firm are and will continue to go from strength to strength. Just look at the PEP!

i think fatigue has set in as all the recent posters are obviously part of Tweedledum's army and feel immune to being made redundant or managed out. Such stupid complacency. Maybe that threatening email about internet posting has hit home. Free speech - no its a dictatorship remember. You are either with us or not and heaven for bid if you seek to disagree or doing anything they view as a threat. Best say nowt and suffer in silence. Big Viv the world is watching you...... A bit like the eclipse yesterday.....

BLM are a laughing stock. It's all too late for it turn around now and / or remain credible.

10.24. Question. Why do you continue to work at BLM?

10.24 - answer. Because it pays the bills whilst everyone is looking for somewhere else. Some on here have achieved this, but it doesn't preclude comment on the firm's current situation as it was a place that many of us worked (and enjoyed working).

"Question. Why do you continue to work at BLM?"

Don't worry we are all getting ready to go elsewhere but in the meantime we will just turn up and get paid as we can't be bothered to do any work. Time we took the **ss now.

11.49 - Question: Why do continue to work for BLM?

11.49. Answer. I don't. I got out. My point is don't put up with a workplace you don't enjoy and find another job. I accept that in the meantime you are pefectly entitled to bitch about the place. I found it vile there and that was being in a senior position.

11.49 - I don't work there either but know lots who still do and who suffer in silence. After a decade there the rot was clearly coming in fast and in fact worsened with their BS restructure initiative. The glory days of doing insurance defence PI work is well over. But BLM is on its own doing this work almost exclusively and will be split up in 18 months following in the HD sale to Keoghs example

One excellent lawyer left to work in a shop -desperate to get out

I think it is very refreshing that people in BLM have the freedom to express their honest views of this company on ROF. As a former employee, I agree with the truthful comments. In my own experience, I can say that some of the partners are as useful as a chocolate teapot. And that is what the Client wants, surely not........

What an absolute joke of a place to work. Our whole floor is being made redundant, which is crazy. The partners are useless and just lie to keep the staff working.

12.41-Southampton?

Rumour mill says its all Motor teams?