A City lawyer who advised the English football authorities on a multibillion-pound broadcast rights deal is to be brought before a disciplinary tribunal for exchanging sexist emails with the Premier League’s executive chairman.
Nicholas West, a partner at the London office of DLA Piper, a transatlantic law firm, will face a Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal hearing, the profession’s regulator said. The charge emerges from a row in May 2014 that nearly cost the job of Richard Scudamore, who was then chief executive at the body that runs English football’s top tier. He and Mr West exchanged emails that made sexual references to a senior member of staff at the Premier League.
Mr Scudamore wrote to Mr West jokingly suggesting that he keep the woman — who was reported to be Peta Bistany, the director of planning and projects — “off his shaft”. Bistany, who is Australian, was also referred to as “Edna” in the emails, supposedly after the character Dame Edna Everage.
Mr Scudamore told Premier League owners that his email exchange had been accessed without his authority but the episode nearly cost him his job. A review by Peter McCormick, who was then the football body’s chairman, ruled that he should remain in his post.
Mr West apologised, saying that he had let himself, his firm and his clients down. An internal investigation at DLA Piper ruled that he should not be dismissed from the partnership.
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The case was referred by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and tribunal officials found that he had a case to answer. He is accused of sending inappropriate emails that could bring the profession into disrepute. If found guilty he could be struck off the solicitors’ roll.
DLA Piper declined to comment.