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ACS:Law solicitor Andrew Crossley gets suspended
DISGRACED SOLICITOR and former ACS:Law proprietor Andrew Crossley has been suspended at a Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, banned from practising law for two years and ordered to pay £76,326.55 in costs.
Crossley figured prominently in a scandal that saw his firm and another called Mediacat target internet users with threatening letters accusing them of having committed copyright infringement.
He's been roundly criticised online and yesterday in court came across rather pathetically. He said that he was bankrupt and separated from his wife, has not been able to pay his fine from the Information Commissioner's Office, and, in perhaps the cruelest blow, had to represent himself.
Crossley accepted six charges levied against him, including that he used his position to take advantage of other persons, but not one that accused him of not properly protecting personal data.
This last count reflects the incident that saw the details of 5,000 alleged file sharers leaked from the ACS:Law web site. According to a report on The Lawyer web site, Crossley said that the attack, which was carried out by Anonymous, could be blamed on his ISP. That report adds that he might sue his ISP, to which he paid £5.99 a month for services, when he has the necessary funds.
"Very pleased with Andrew Crossley judgement, received 1000s of emails from victims, hope many of them can now have closure," tweeted privacy advocate Alexander Haff in response to the news. "[It] was a great result, people complaining about only 2 year ban need to realise he is basically unemployable now."
Will Gilmour, a blogger that has followed the case and was present at the hearing, told us, "The result was okay; could have been better, but it'll probably do what it needs to. ie. Crossley > new profession." µ
Tags: Internet
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What's all this rubbish about Crossley's legal career being over???
ACS:Law wasn't a 'law firm' that employed him; ACS:Law was his own one-man business (er, the clue is in the initials.)
There's nothing to stop Crossley from starting over again in two years' time; he merely needs a phone line, an accommodation address sufficient to make his letterhead look intimidatingly posh, and, er, that's it.
Oh, and he needs the kind of clients and associates no self respectinbg law firm would touch with a barge-pole.
But there's no shortage of either in the UK, as MediaCat and cyber-squatter Terence Tsang so eloquently demonstrate.
As far as I'm aware, Crossley's luxurious country home is still in his possession, yet he was declared bankrupt a year ago. But perhaps he's had to let the Ferrari go and given up dreaming of his life as a Monte Carlo tax exile. . .
Or, then again, perhaps not.
Inq does it again!
Thanks for including the quote clarifying that despite only receiving a 2 year ban, Crossley is basically now unemployable in the legal field.
Lots of people (including me) thought that a ban for only 2 years was woefully inadequate, but I'm SO glad to hear that he is basically finished as a Solicitor.
How pleasant to see that Andrew Crossley, Poster Boy for Big Media Extortion, has been made to answer for his white-collar thuggery.
Now if only the RIAA/MPAA/BPI could be brought to the Bar, as well. But, as per usual, the street thugs get nailed and the big bosses get away.
What a great result! He'll never be able to pay it though and will probably be jobless for the rest of his sad miserable life.
"in perhaps the cruelest blow, had to represent himself" ... LOL Nice one.
The Tribunal judgement reflects not just upon Andrew Crossley but also upon the professionals who worked for him.
Jonathan Miller-Mandil
Adam Glen
Leyla Mehru
Terence Tsang, to name just a few.
You know what they say, a man that defends himself has a fool for a client. Very apt in this case!