AC Law . . .
The names of founding partners were sufficient enough, once upon a time, to appear on the shingle. But then TV came along and every grubby little legal outfit suddenly wanted to be an LA Law, a Boston Law. The proliferation of firms with 'Law' in their titles was exceeded only by the proliferation of posturing practitioners.
'Prenda Law' never worked that well though as a title, so will soon be forgotten. The British version of a sleazy scamming lying low-life scumbag shyster outfit was, however, a bit more memorable: AC: Law. Cryptic. Authoritative. Makes you think of a big outfit rather than the one-man band operating out of a London accommodation address that it actually was.
As to what happened to that, its repellent toad of a proprietor Andrew Crossley, was in 2012 finally subject to the full sanction of the UK's Solicitors' Regulation Authority, this after a shit-storm of complaints to the SRA about Crossley's nationwide pursuit of alleged illegal file downloaders. To its lasting credit, El Reg was amongst the most vociferous of Crossley's critics.
It took the SRA more than two years to decide that Crossley was a disgrace to the legal profession. The SRA was so totally and completely. . . appalled by Crossley's behaviour that it suspended him from practice. . . for all of two years. The reaction then of many here in the UK was the same as the reaction now of many in the USA to the John Steele situation, viz: that nothing short of barring the scumbag from ever practicising law again is appropriate.
But where disgraced lawyers are concerned, 'punishment' doesn't really happen. Look at AC:Law. Look at Andrew Crossley. The 'profession' which the, uh, fearless SRA once said he had brought into public disrepute has long since looked after him. Because it always looks after its own. As in the UK then, so, too, in the USA: there's no reason to think that John Steele will be treated any differently. Like Crossley. . . he'll be back.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
