NEW
A close look at Truss's legal threat to Starmer
The former Prime Minister has sent a glorious but seemingly hopeless cease-and-desist letter
By me
Substack: https://emptycity.substack.com/p/a-close-look-at-trusss-legal-threat
@davidallengreen I note that it is not signed by any person. It merely says "Asserson Law Offices". How usual is this in the UK? To my inexperienced eye it has a sense of "this letter is sent by our offices but no actual person in our offices sees fit to affix his or her name to it."
@pieist @davidallengreen It’s relatively common for some firms.
@Nickiquote @davidallengreen OK. I don't recall ever seeing a letter from a law firm -- on a matter of law as opposed to a business matter -- that was not signed by a lawyer.
@davidallengreen @Nickiquote I see. In other words, this isn't necessarily the form of the correspondence that Starmer himself would have received.
@davidallengreen @pieist What I mean is that some firms will sign off letters in the name of the firm, with someone signing “Firm Name LLP”. As David says the client will often have an un wet ink signed copy of the final letter.
What is less usual is for no lawyer to be mentioned as a contact person or for there to be a lawyer’s reference at the top.
I personally think David is being generous to the lawyers in the context of SRA guidance on SLAPPs.
@Nickiquote @davidallengreen Yes, exactly. In letters sent to me, I expect there to be a lawyer standing behind what's said in it and to whom questions, other interested parties, etc. may be referred. It wasn't precisely the lack of a signature I was speaking about; I did check for a named lawyer at the top of the letter as well before asking.
*Francis Urquhart gif*
@pieist @Nickiquote
There are a number of good reasons.
For example this may be the client copy of the letter that was sent.