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.

user - I did mention that I had dealt with MS as a parent and found him very good. He was on my side and came across well to me as a potential client. I saw nothing but a professional.

My problem was the fees were too high and the time was too long and there was no guarantee I'd get what I wanted anyway. He made it clear too that I couldn't recover my costs and that it wouldn't be an easy ride.

I hate witch hunts and have fought MN on many a witch hunt. This is different however. This is fact based, many people are talking about their own personal experiences of MS. Parents have been damaged by what he has done. He has done it within the law and on the instructions of the LA's involved - it is his job.

The seeming contempt is shocking and if this was about you, as you were sitting looking at your beautiful child who had been denied a basic right - and you were being ridiculed for fighting for it - it really would be a step too far.

I don't get involved in 'witch hunts' either. I have been on this site for 13years and positively relish sticking up for an under dog- MS is not one.
I have not seen you on any threads user jumping in because you claim that it's one sided.

I think that you feel sympathy purely because you did a similar degree to him.

Nope. The underdogs in this case are people like my DS.

We are in the middle of fighting a tribunal at the moment. I am off work with stress. It's absolutely hideous.

This whole episode makes me feel sick.

www.sinclairslaw.co.uk/news/media-reports-into-law-firm-baker-small-reinforces-the-need-for-change-in-approach-to-special-needs-law/

thewiganway.wordpress.com/2016/06/14/why-did-i-dob-baker-small-to-the-solicitors-regulation-authority/

THis:

'If anything, the problem in the past has been that the tribunal hasn't been really prepared to take the bull by the horns and control the sort of conduct exhibited by BS'

100x

"Own up to supporting him on Twitter user, use your real name and show your allegiance to him there, as you state , it's quite one sided there isn't it?"

I don't tweet (except my work tweets purely on my thread). I have not supported him on Twitter.

Presumably no one is saying people can't support anyone they choose on line. We are allowed different views. I think his comments were musjudged and he has suffered already more than enough and in fact far too much for them. I accept people don't agree with me.

I know you haven't supported him on Twitter, I know your account, I am just saying that you should if you feel strongly.

Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames have said "we do work with Baker Small, but have no plans to terminate our working relationship at this time."

Disgraceful!

I think his comments were musjudged and he has suffered already more than enough and in fact far too much for them.

Your views on the suffering of disabled children and their families when they are denied a proper education as a result of Mark Small and his actions?

No?

Ok, then.

user, You were asked upthread to explain why you thought his comments weren't that bad. Could you explain?

If any Kingston residents - or indeed anyone else - would like to query Kingston's reasons, their twitter feed is at twitter.com/RBKingston/status/743104070538416128?lang=en-gb

Sorry if it's already been mentioned but why has Baker Small's description when you google them now showing as 'Solid Waste Engineer'? Do they just mean shit fiddler?

I've been following this since Sunday, after reading the initial tweets. I can't think about anything else... it just brings back the horror of the year we spent fighting for my son's statement.

Parents do not go into this for a fight, or to take more than their fair share. We need to access services to make life bearable for our children - for them to have any kind of future. That is the 'emotive' world of SEN. That is why we persist with it, and jump through all the hoops put in our way. Many of us have to do it whilst caring full time for a distressed child, on very little sleep... it consumes your whole life, and brings families to breaking point. Many children (like my son) end up out of school for long periods before they get the support they deserve, and are left with lasting psychological damage.

We were fortunate not to get to tribunal, or ever to encounter Baker Small - but I have followed the experiences of several people on the SN boards who have. It is sickening - the last minute adjournments, the personal attacks on parents at their most vulnerable - how do they get away with it? I am so glad that these issues are getting some publicity at last.

Mark Small's second apology letter wasn't available for long before his website went down. I wonder if any LA clients got to read his comments about them not being fit for purpose!

North Yorkshire says it has "a small contract" with BS for telephone legal advice, it's due for renewal in September and they will then reconsider it "in light of the company's disappointing and inappropriate attitudes and comments on social media."

Still nothing from my LA. I'm so glad that this has gone viral to the point it has.

I spoke to some people I know at SEN services today and they all said how disgraceful it was.

user1464519881

I am so sick of all these usernames like this ^^ proliferating on MN.

They look so troll-like. Fed up of them. And yes MNHQ are aware.

CurrerBell - I couldn't agree more. This idea of parents trying to secure 'rolls Royce provision' (a comment made in a tribunal years ago) has become a propaganda tool.

To bring an appeal to tribunal often costs a family in excess of £10k. It is hugely stressful. I would be interested to know how many appeals BS have actually won. I am wondering if they mainly win against parents who are unrepresented because our solicitor cut down any attempts from our LA to waffle/obscure the issue. At our tribunal, the LA were told 'it's not our job to help you make your case'. There was no way they were going to adjourn even though they were very badly prepared.

Liney - yes I noticed this too.

As an aside I agree about the user names. Have just been reading a "Muslims are Anti-Gay" thread - v goady - and thought it was you user but the writing style was different, the grammar poor and the sentiments didn't seem to fit.

User names are functional, memorable and bring something to the site.

Second aside- I was quoted £20-£22k to take the LA to tribunal. That's huge!

This is the true "cost" of Mark Small's actions. I bet his mum found it very funny to see him tweet a picture of a cute cat and luxury villa/swimming pool when she's about face him at Tribunal.

Linky to Barnet local paper

In my rage, my post doesn't make sense! I meant "I bet the mum in the Barnet Local Paper found it very funny to see Mark Small tweet a picture of a cat..."

She will give him as good as it gets, don't worry about that

Did you hear his interview on LBC? He's right that at end if the day it's all down to money - but he's creaming that money off.

At my hearing a TA was £12.5 ph and slt £20 ( God knows what kind of speech therapist costs that little!)

As a aside my other sons ASD state school place is just under £19,000 per year

so work out how many add places, SLT hours and TA hours his 1.25 million fees would cover.

Does take much to see where the money goes.

Rich get richer and all that.