Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Alice Harrold

Lawyer accused of 'sexism' on LinkedIn's previous inappropriate comments

Alexander Carter-Silk, 57, is 30 years senior to Ms Proudman (LinkedIn/Alexander Carter-Silk)

A lawyer criticised for commenting on a younger woman's appearance on LinkedIn had previously called a Facebook picture of his daughter "hot", it has been revealed.

Alexander Carter-Silk, senior partner at Brown Rudnick, hit the headlines after sending a message on professional networking site LinkedIn to human rights barrister Charlotte Proudman, commenting on her picture.

"I appreciate that this is probably horrendously politically incorrect but that is a stunning picture!!!," he wrote, adding that she "won the prize" for the best picture he had seen on the site.

It has since emerged that Mr Carter-Silk commented on his 27-year-old daughter Ellie's appearance in pictures on social media.

Under one of her pictures he wrote: "Whilst I should not encourage lascivious comments about my daughter ... Yeee gods she is hot!!"

Ellie-Carter-Silk.jpg Alexander Carter-Silk commented on his daughter, Ellie's photo: 'Yeee gods she is hot!!'

Ms Proudman, a barrister and a PhD candidate at Cambridge University researching Female Genital Mutilation, had called Mr Carter-Silk's message to her "offensive" and "misogynistic".

The barrister shared the interaction on Twitter, naming Mr Carter-Silk and calling for a public apology.

Read more:
Barrister calls out senior partner for 'sexist' LinkedIn message
I've been called a 'Feminazi' for calling out a sexist man on Linkedin
Daily Mail columnist criticised for comparing feminists to Nazis

Ms Proudman has continued to speak out against sexism in professional settings and told The Evening Standard : "I thought he may be interested in my skills and experience as opposed to my body."

On her LinkedIn profile, Ms Proudman says that she has worked with vulnerable women seeking legal support, and done pro bono work in the Middle East, Pakistan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo where she helped establish the country’s first free legal advice centre.

"People are treating LinkedIn like Tinder, I've received many messages based on my physical appearance, but this one was from a senior partner," she said.

Mr Carter-Silk told the law news website RollOnFriday: "My comment was aimed at the professional quality of the presentation on linked in which was unfortunately misinterpreted".

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.