Said he got a first
An junior lawyer, previously at Magic Circle law firm Slaughter and May, has been struck off after lying about his academic results on a pupillage application.
Maximillian Alexander Knowles Campbell trained at Linklaters and joined Slaughters on qualification in 2020, where he worked as an associate for two years. In early 2022 he decided to switch to the Bar and applied for a pupillage at Erskine Chambers.
In his application, Campbell claimed to have achieved a double-starred first in his degree from the University of Cambridge and to have won the ‘Slaughter and May Prize’ for best overall performance in his final year. In reality, he received a 2:1 and had not been awarded the prize.
According to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), the Erskine Chambers interview panel felt that Campbell’s performance during his interview at the chambers was “far below the level that one would expect of someone of his academic credentials.”
Erskine later reviewed his application following his below standard interview performance and noticed they had not received a response from his listed academic referee, Dr Markus Gehring. The email address provided for Dr Gehring was incorrect, so the chambers contacted him using the address listed on Cambridge’s website.
Dr Gehring confirmed that Campbell had in fact achieved a 2:1. However, later that day, he followed up to say there had been “a case of mistaken identity” and that his earlier response should be ignored, as Campbell “seems unaware of this application.”
Dr Gehring also forwarded an email he had received from Campbell, in which the solicitor claimed he had “been the victim of a practical joke” and had not applied for pupillage. Following this exchange, chambers reported the matter to the SRA. Campbell subsequently self-reported a week later. The chambers also informed Campbell’s then employer, Slaughter and May.
Campbell resigned from Slaughter and May before its internal investigation could begin. Email correspondence between the firm’s HR department and Campbell revealed that he told the firm he had planned to apply to the Bar in 2023 and had submitted the application merely as interview practice.
At a hearing before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT), Campbell argued that he should not be struck off, claiming his actions fell within “exceptional circumstances” and that his actions needed “to be understood in the context of an irrational response to unbearable psychological stress.” To support this claim, he submitted a psychiatrist’s letter stating that he was suffering from a major depressive episode at the time of the misconduct.
His counsel further argued that Campbell had not sought financial gain or a genuine pupillage placement but was instead seeking interview experience “as part of a misguided attempt to escape his deteriorating personal and professional situation.”
However, the tribunal found that his conduct “was designed to gain advantage through the selection process. It was not a momentary lapse or a reaction to immediate pressure, but a sustained course of conduct.”
The tribunal did acknowledge Campbell’s mental health difficulties but concluded that they did not excuse his dishonesty, particularly due to the fact that the dishonestly was “premeditated, extended over time, and involved multiple opportunities for him to correct the record”.
According to the tribunal, Campbell had multiple opportunities to correct his false statements but chose not to do so, “including during two successive interviews and in addition, in communications with his referee.”
“The tribunal concluded that the dishonesty was not isolated, and the surrounding circumstances, though unusual, did not justify a departure from the presumptive sanction.”
As a result, Campbell was struck off the roll of solicitors and made to pay a fine of £6,110.
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