Now former lawyer Susan Friery seemed to have it all. She was a practicing lawyer in a respected Boston personal injury firm. She was featured in a calendar of “Beautiful Lawyers,” shown in spandex and striking a yoga pose. And she was a trained and experienced doctor who had graduated from the medical school at Columbia University.
Friery really is a lawyer and is not hard on the eyes, (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2107747/Most-beautiful-lawyer-suspended-years-lying-medical-degree.html), but it turned out that she made up the doctor stuff. She had actually attended a few medical courses at a state school. Friery duped her employer for years. Hook, line and sinker. So much so that they sent her to law school (she started at the firm as a medical consultant and paralegal). They later made her partner. She worked on prominent cases and surely made a lot of money. Friery listed her M.D. “credentials” on the firm’s website and in court pleadings.
The law firm surely has egg on its face. Reportedly, no cases suffered and no clients were harmed. That’s very lucky for the law firm. Things could have been much worse.
The lesson for employers is obvious. Employees can be very devious. Employees fudge their resumes. They moonlight. Some of them lie, cheat and steal. Even the nice and pretty ones who look good in spandex. It’s up to you to verify things. Friery’s case should be a lesson to at least verify professional and academic credentials. Not doing so could end up causing you serious problems.
damnedif 