The barrister is taking legal action against the prestigious university after he failed the final oral exam of his thesis. Now, the hopeful barrister is taking his claim to High Court, seeking damages for “substantial loss of earnings”.
In a public judgement, he alleges “disability discrimination and victimisation of various kinds under the Equality Act 2010, breach of contract and breach of common law duty of care”.
The now qualified barrister believes that Cambridge’s criteria for awarding the qualification put him at a significant disadvantage.
The qualification in question requires a 100,000-word thesis, topped off by an oral interview with two examiners who assess candidates’ ideas and arguments.
The examiners interviewing the barrister firstly “declined to recommend the award of PhD”, however, they did indicate that he should “be allowed to revise his thesis and resubmit it”, rather than be rejected completely.
In his claim, the barrister – who was called to the Bar in 2018 - argues that he is “less able than other candidates of the same ability to produce a singular lengthy and multifaceted piece of work such as a PhD thesis”.
He believes that Cambridge should have made adjustments, allowing him to have been “assessed other than by way of a thesis”.
Specifically in relation to the oral examination section of the qualification, where he suggested that the viva voice examiners use specific questions, rather than general ones, and allow for the candidate to take breaks and pauses between questions.
This would allow him, he claims, to “mentally retrieve the words or information that he needed in order to answer”.
Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have permeated various industries, and the legal profession is no exception...
