A British lawyer with over 50 years of experience has been fined and reprimanded for using a Nazi salute in court. The barrister, Thomas Davidson, was fined £250 and ordered that he pay £1,750 in costs. In writing their decision against the lawyer, the ethics board found he “behaved in a way which was likely to diminish the trust and confidence which the public places in him or in the profession.”
Though the full context is unavailable — Bar Standards Board (BSB) hasn’t yet published the complete decision. However, a summary *is* available, and it doesn’t sound great for Davidson:
“Following the conclusion of a trial during which he had represented a defendant before a bench consisting of three lay magistrates, and after the chairperson raised with him the issue of his having used a German accent during the proceedings and telling him that this conduct had been inappropriate, Mr Davidson looked at the bench and said ‘Jawohl’ at the same time as raising a hand in a Nazi salute, which conduct was seriously offensive and discreditable.”
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As reported by RollOnFriday, “‘Jawohl’ means ‘yes, indeed’ in German, and in a military context has been used when soldiers address their superior officers.”
Davidson can appeal the BSB’s decision.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].