Alex Carter-SilkPartner at Center of LinkedIn Sexism Row in UK Moves Firms
Alex Carter-Silk hit headlines in 2015 over remarks made on LinkedIn to junior barrister Charlotte Proudman.
April 10, 2019 at 06:28 AM
3 minute read
Alexander Carter-Silk, the lawyer at the centre of a media storm over a LinkedIn message, has left his post at U.S. firm Brown Rudnick to join listed outfit Keystone Law.
Carter-Silk, formerly the European head of IP at Brown Rudnick, came under intense media scrutiny in 2015 when female barrister Charlotte Proudman, then 27, accused him of “unacceptable and mysogynistic behaviour”, after she publicised a message exchange that showed he complimented her “stunning” profile picture.
The story sparked a widespread debate over unsolicited compliments on social media and in the workplace.
At the time of the incident, Brown Rudnick acknowledged awareness of the comments and apologised for any offence caused. The Telegraph reported that Carter-Silk, 57 at the time, said in a message to Proudman: “I sincerely regret my remarks have offended you.”
Carter-Silk had been head of IP at Brown Rudnick since 2014. He had previously headed up intellectual property teams at legacy firms Speechly Bircham, from 2006 to 2014, and Manches, from 2003 to 2006.
In a screenshot of the exchange – which Proudman publicised via her now-deleted Twitter account – Carter-Silk wrote: “Charlotte, delighted to connect, I appreciate that this is probably horrendously politically incorrect but that is a stunning picture!!!
A tweet from Proudman's now-deleted account.
“You definitely win the prize for the best LinkedIn picture I have ever seen. Always interest [sic] to understant [sic] people's skills and how we might work together.”
Proudman replied: “Unacceptable and misogynistic behaviour. Think twice before sending another woman (half your age) such a sexist message.”
Carter-Silk told Legal Week: “I greatly enjoyed my five years at Brown Rudnick working with amazing people on cutting edge intellectual property law, particularly disruptive technology issues.
“I am excited to have moved to Keystone Law to expand on that work. I do not wish to re-open a five-year old debate about one comment simply because I have moved firms.”
Responding to a request for comment on the incident, Keystone CEO James Knight said in a statement to Legal Week: “We are delighted to welcome Alexander to the firm and look forward to working with him.”
Brown Rudnick did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Contract Software Unicorn Ironclad Hires Former Pinterest Lawyer as GC
2 minute read
Florida-Based Law Firms Start to Lag, As New York Takes a Bigger Piece of Deals
3 minute read
Trending Stories
- 1Gibson Dunn Sued By Crypto Client After Lateral Hire Causes Conflict of Interest
- 2Trump's Solicitor General Expected to 'Flip' Prelogar's Positions at Supreme Court
- 3Pharmacy Lawyers See Promise in NY Regulator's Curbs on PBM Industry
- 4Outgoing USPTO Director Kathi Vidal: ‘We All Want the Country to Be in a Better Place’
- 5Supreme Court Will Review Constitutionality Of FCC's Universal Service Fund
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
