Is this appropriate conduct for solicitors?

[AugustaFinkNottle]

A solicitors' firm which acts for councils in special educational needs tribunals has tweeted the following:

"Great ABA Trib win this week ... interesting to see how parents continue to persist with it. Funny thing is parents think they won ;)"

I can't link to it due to having been blocked but it's been retweeted, e.g here.

The original tweet resulted in numerous complaints and a quick change to the tweet.

The case they're triumphalising about will have involved a disabled child. Lovely.

It's a total car crash. I am agog.

Alanna you are a lawyer though aren't you? What do you think about the way this has been handled on social media?

Another solicitor checking in and agreeing with those before me. Totally disgusting conduct, a disgrace to our profession.

Wowzer! How long before its picked up by the papers?

ABA is applied behavioural analysis - www.childautism.org.uk/about-autism/applied-behaviour-analysis-aba-and-autism/

They have just blocked a lawyer who very gently reprimanded them.

They must be losing a lot of followers with the number of people they are blocking!

I don't see why the thread should get pulled. The firm has chosen to tweet this publicly, so the report about it is a simple matter of fact, and we are entitled to comment on their conduct. No-one is libelling them.

They may have just killed off their Sen4You business aimed at representing parents and young people with SEND...

It absolutely mustn't get pulled, this is exactly the sort of thing that mumsnet is good for.

*A solicitors' firm which acts for councils in special educational needs tribunals has tweeted the following:

"Great ABA Trib win this week ... interesting to see how parents continue to persist with it. Funny thing is parents think they won ;)"

I can't link to it due to having been blocked confused but it's been retweeted, e.g here.

The original tweet resulted in numerous complaints and a quick change to the tweet.

The case they're triumphalising about will have involved a disabled child. Lovely.
Bookmark*

Fucking hell!! That is bloody ridiculous, unprofessional and unethical.

Ruralretreating, - My experiences have been horrific. I am totally shocked because I worked in legal offices. I have never seen such a bunch of grasping greedy people in my life. They totally lack honesty and are stupid enough, like the topic of this OP, to put things in writing. It has not all been the one solicitor or even the only company of solicitors. It seems to be rife to try to take advantage of the disabled especially where I am . I need to have some work done but I am terrified to speak to a solicitor again.
I do realise that there must a decent solicitor/person out there somewhere but I just don't seem to be able to find them

someone is gonna get their as canned over this!

completely unprofessional behaviour - if I was the parents of the child I would be raging and rightly so.

ABA is a contentious subject - its expensive but works very well with some autistic children but not all - but desperate families will try anything to give their child the best care even if the LA disagrees with provision.

the company have now blocked their twitter from being viewed by anyone other than confirmed followers - they clearly realise they are screwed

Thanks all. I still don't entirely get it - I didn't read it as gloating but more professional pride in winning something which might be difficult to win (??), but I don't know the firm or its previous tweets or any back history. It makes me think this win is big in some way, like bucking a trend, but you couldn't really tell? Not sure it was complaint-worthy to SRA.

Kittens - yes -the cat picture was just downright weird for a professional firm but I thought was a attempt to reference cat pictures on the Internet (also weird but in a different way). I don't think I'd ever use a solicitors' firm that posted cat pictures in response to clearly having upset people. Odd.

I am finding the special needs of children quite a learning curve (and checking my privilege that I can currently at least duck out of the very, very difficult issues at the margin and spend lots of money on it instead, which is not an option open to many), so should I ever need it I now have the name of a firm I will definitely avoid - seems clear which side they want to practise on!

(But don't agree that it is identifying if witnesses/court clerks can identify it etc - they'd be people in the know anyway).

But you are a lawyer Alanna1 aren't you?

www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/payments_to_sen_solicitors

Most ABA cases are lost at tribunal - its expensive so LA's dont want to provide it - thats why it comes across as gloating - out of around 200 children with Autism who want it maybe 3-5 will get the funding for ABA in our area

No, one first-tier tribunal win isn't a big thing and doesn't set a precedent. I accept fully that solicitors can celebrate a big win that is significant in legal terms, and for instance the solicitors for the families in the Hillsborough case are also entitled to do so. But when your opponents are the family of a disabled child and you are publicly saying that you find it funny that they have not got the help which they strongly believe their child needs, and that it makes you smile - absolutely not.

Interestingly, this firm recently lost two big cases in the Upper Tribunal which do set a precedent. I suspect their clients didn't find that quite so amusing.

Pinkspideruk, the ones who DO get funding for ABA, what's different about their cases?

And yes yes to not pulling this thread! It's why the tinternet got invented!

(But don't agree that it is identifying if witnesses/court clerks can identify it etc - they'd be people in the know anyway)

Court clerks wouldn't know the outcome of the case, nor would witnesses know the ins and outs of all of it and wouldn't necessarily see the decision. People like local authority case officers and professionals come and go.

But think about this from the point of view of the council that is their client. There are only a few councils whom this firm represents and people in the SEN world will know who they are. If the parents find out - and I suspect they will - the council concerned is liable to have a heavy duty complaint to deal with first thing on Monday. And then the other councils who instruct them are likely to be worried in case people think it's one of their cases and the mud flies in their direction. If I were an SEN officer in one of those councils I would also be seriously worried that they are going to be as indiscreet about my cases.

I think in general people who do get ABA are able to prove that it works for their child, maybe because they've been paying for it themselves beforehand. Some councils have actually set up and encouraged schools or units to offer ABA, e.g. Richmond and Thanet.

Thanks Augusta, that's interesting.

the ones who get ABA approval have usually got evidence to prove it works with their child either from privately funding it themselves or via charitable funding (caudwell children for example is a charity who will provide funding for ABA due to it not being provided via statuary means) - I am not an expert on it though I just know about it from my previous job :)

It looks as if they've closed their Twitter account.

Whilst nosing around, I came across this page where they deal with a case involving inappropriate use of social media. Oh, the irony.

Why on earth are law firms on Twitter? Twitter is for TOWIE cast members and washed up soap-stars. Isn't it??