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Leather pants land partner in tight spot
The European rumour mill is running hot with claims that one of Linklaters' top business law partners has been nabbed for tax evasion after an incident involving leather pants and a non-plussed…
Lawyers Weekly
The European rumour mill is running hot with claims that one of Linklaters' top business law partners has been nabbed for tax evasion after an incident involving leather pants and a non-plussed customs officer.
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RollonFriday reports that Ralph Wollburg, a partner at Linklaters but formerly of Freshfields, arrived at Germany's Dusseldorf airport in February after a trip to New York.
Apparently, in said partner's bag were a rather expensive blouse and what has been described as "some sort of leather trousering" (reports in the German press described them as "Lederhose")
What is unclear, apparently, is whether or not the pants were of the tight, glossy nightclub kind or the more traditional German, beer-swilling, thigh-slapping national dress kind.
Whatever his preference, Wollburg claimed they were gifts for his wife and that he had receipts to the value of €3,500.
A customs officer apparently told Wollburg he had to pay tax on the pants, to which the partner replied that he had already done so in the US.
Unfortunately for him, his claims of, "Do you know who I am? I am one of the leading business lawyers in Germany" didn't earn him any sympathy and the officer promptly charged him with tax evasion.
The officer then went on to issue a press release about the leather pant incident, describing the culprit as a "54-year-old man from Dusseldorf".
Sources told RollOnFriday that the partner in question is Wollburg, and the firm apparently refused to deny it ...
