Legal500 Accidentally Publishes Damaging Barrister Reviews

Legal500, a prominent legal directory, has temporarily suspended a webpage after an error resulted in the accidental publication of unredacted client and peer reviews for top barristers. The reviews, intended to be anonymized and compiled into effusive praise, instead revealed critical feedback, describing some legal professionals as ‘sloppy, disorganised and indecisive.’

The website, which annually lists the best barristers and law firms, relies on testimony from clients and colleagues. Typically, these reviews are known for their flattering language. However, on Thursday, the accidental upload of unredacted comments caused concern within law firms.

Among the unflattering feedback were comments such as, ‘The clerks have let me down in four or so recent cases by getting fees wrong, incorrect billing, and generally being poor at responding.’ Another observation noted, ‘I observe that the clerks know how amazing their counsel are and therefore try a little less hard than they should, which has been irritating and not very impressive.’

Individual barristers also faced direct criticism, with one lawyer’s work described as ‘sloppy,’ while another was characterized as ‘adequate but disorganised and indecisive.’ One review succinctly summarized a legal career as being ‘nothing of note.’ While many practitioners were commended for their ‘robust’ courtroom presence, one individual was noted for having a ‘temperament can be difficult to deal with.’

Tim Wakefield, chief executive officer of Legal500, acknowledged the incident, stating, ‘During a recent website update, an error in the upload process resulted in a small amount of testimonial information being published incorrectly.’ He assured that the content was promptly removed from the website upon discovery, and additional verification checks have been initiated.

‘We recognise the importance of ensuring that the information we publish is accurate and take this matter extremely seriously,’ Wakefield added. ‘We apologise to our customers for any concern or inconvenience caused and are taking immediate steps to strengthen our quality assurance processes and safeguards to prevent a recurrence.’ The company has since suspended the affected webpage and is implementing measures to prevent similar issues in the future.