Herlufsholm Boarding & Day School - Incidents and Reactions of the Royal Family

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by Prinsara

I do believe/hope Mary and Frederik are not motivated so much by their own reputations but I do believe they've likely been overly indulgent parents up to this point. In emphasizing that Christian was so happy and Isabella wanted to attend, they put out the message that accommodating their own children's comfort and desires were more important than taking a stand for the less-fortunate students (which they have still not done) or even rewarding a school without the terrible entrenched culture (which will now happen anyway).

It's not easy to make decisions when it comes to your kids, but when it comes to this kind of a publicly-accountable life, someone needed to be a little sharper.

Perhaps the Mary Foundation will now be able to work jointly with Herlufsholm on improvements. There is certainly a lot of ground to cover.

Or, we just be cynical and think M&F only put out the fire when it was getting too hot for them. I really don't know.

Pulling Christian from the school definitely has a negative impact on Herlufsholm's reputation as the school was effectively deemed unsuitable for the education of the future King. However, on the other hand, I wonder, now that Christian is out and Isabella will not attend the school either, if that will actually take some of the heat off Herlufsholm. The school's problems obviously predate Christian's enrollment and some of the allegations are not new, or not even recent, but I still suspect that, if Christian had not been a student there, thus attracting the interest of the press to "dig up dirt" so to speak, many of the incidents that surfaced would have remained buried or would have been just ignored.

I don't know, but I am just being cynical.

[kalnel]

Two different issues are getting confused in this conversation: What's right for Christian and Isabella as individuals, and what's right for the royal house's PR.

We have no idea what's right for those kids and saying that they'll be happy or sad about the decision is pure speculation. These teenagers deserve their privacy to every extent possible. (I wouldn't be surprised to see Christian attend a school outside of Denmark next year to take some of the pressure off.)

As for what's right from a public relations perspective, F&M have taken a cautious and conservative approach and waited for the official report about the allegations and the school's response before jumping to decisions. Wise choice.

As far as Mary's anti-bullying campaign, it's an awkward situation, and it demonstrates why it's risky for royals to get involved in even feel-good causes. Every school her children attend going forward will be under the microscope.

[Muhler]

A new chairman of the board at Herlufsholm has been appointed
https://jyllands-posten.dk/indland/E...fsholmformand/

It's a former chief justice, i.e. presiding at the Supreme Court.

So the legislation should be guaranteed not to be breached while he is in charge.
And no serious things like sexual assaults, violence even theft should be left unreported to the police - otherwise his reputation is down the drain.

- Glancing over the many posts I think it's important to keep in mind that M&F are indeed the CP-couple but they are also parents. So there is a lot of personal feelings involved in this.

M&F as I see it, were naive and believed in what friends told them about Herlufsholm (Which was no doubt true, for the children of these friends) - omitting to doing some serious background checks themselves (like through the Ministry of Education.) They have learned an unpleasant lesson.

[Prinsara]

Originally Posted by Muhler

A new chairman of the board at Herlufsholm has been appointed
https://jyllands-posten.dk/indland/E...fsholmformand/

It's a former chief justice, i.e. presiding at the Supreme Court.

So the legislation should be guaranteed not to be breached while he is in charge.
And no serious things like sexual assaults, violence even theft should be left unreported to the police - otherwise his reputation is down the drain.

- Glancing over the many posts I think it's important to keep in mind that M&F are indeed the CP-couple but they are also parents. So there is a lot of personal feelings involved in this.

M&F as I see it, were naive and believed in what friends told them about Herlufsholm (Which was no doubt true, for the children of these friends) - omitting to doing some serious background checks themselves (like through the Ministry of Education.) They have learned an unpleasant lesson.

Muhler, how naive could they be when they said they would still send Isabella just weeks ago? Unless they do some serious groveling, I think they probably deserve whatever consequences arise from this, at least for a while.

[lucien]

Originally Posted by Erin9

This sounds like a hideous, pervasively toxic school for any kid to attend.

My thoughts exactly!!

[Muhler]

Originally Posted by Prinsara

Muhler, how naive could they be when they said they would still send Isabella just weeks ago? Unless they do some serious groveling, I think they probably deserve whatever consequences arise from this, at least for a while.

Because they believed in the reassurances of the then board that things were changing and being taken care of?
And because they wanted to give the board a chance of actually making some radical changes?

[Izzie]

Originally Posted by Muhler

A new chairman of the board at Herlufsholm has been appointed
https://jyllands-posten.dk/indland/E...fsholmformand/

It's a former chief justice, i.e. presiding at the Supreme Court.

So the legislation should be guaranteed not to be breached while he is in charge.
And no serious things like sexual assaults, violence even theft should be left unreported to the police - otherwise his reputation is down the drain.

- Glancing over the many posts I think it's important to keep in mind that M&F are indeed the CP-couple but they are also parents. So there is a lot of personal feelings involved in this.

M&F as I see it, were naive and believed in what friends told them about Herlufsholm (Which was no doubt true, for the children of these friends) - omitting to doing some serious background checks themselves (like through the Ministry of Education.) They have learned an unpleasant lesson.

IMO I do think they've learned a lesson with this situation. Unless that is just my naivety showing.

Do I think that they fumbled the football at the start...Yes. And that fumble should be a wake-up call for them to seriously evaluate their communications strategy and PR protocol and maybe engage someone to their employ that is capable of handling these types of issues in a 21st century manner.

I think, as parents, they wanted to make their kids happy. No fault in that. They thought as parents first and CP Couple second. A totally human thing to do. Lest anyone forgets that Mary and Frederik and their children are actual human beings (flaws and all).

I just don't understand all the piling on Mary and Frederik right now! None of us know all the details of what they were facing or dealing with. And NO, I don't think they need to go on some Mea Culpa tour or grovel in front of anyone!! And what punishment are they supposed to receive? A public flogging in Amalienborg square? A public talking to in front of Parliament"? Should they be stripped of patronages? Should Mary disband The Mary Foundation? It is like everyone wants their pound of flesh now!

I swear comments sometimes make it sound like they literally slaughtered puppies and kicked old ladies into the harbor!! Sorry if that sounds extreme..but geez, you'd think they'd committed murder!!

From the start they called out what was happening. More than once they said that they basically were waiting to make the most informed decision possible. It is obvious now that they were waiting to for this official report to be released. As their statement said, they now had the information needed and the kids would not be going to the school. Period.

And no, they didn't bow to public pressure or some "woke" voices. I don't think this was reactive at all tbh. They've been in the spotlight of this for months and they didn't yank the kids willy nilly. THAT would have been reactive. At least in my naive opinion.

[Somebody]

Originally Posted by Mbruno

(...)
And I apologize if I am being overcritical of the male gender, but put a bunch of boys together in an environment where they get to make their own rules and build their own social hierarchy, and, yes, you will get Lord of the Flies (or a lighter version thereof). We see it in several young male initiation rites as far back as ancient history.

I'd say the above is a big part of the problem. It were indeed the boys together making their own rules and building their own hierarchy (with some influence from whose parents were best connected) instead of the school making sure it was a safe and healthy environment for all.

In addition, those responsible for the boarding part of the experience keep complaining (according to the report) that they cannot be expected to take care of each student under their care in the way it was requested by the inspection... So, they were NOT open to change at all.

Originally Posted by Izzie

I guess you just cannot please everyone can you. First it was the child must be pulled! He cannot stay there! An abomination!! The CP Couple will be the worst parents evah!!! We as strangers on the internet DEMAND that he is pulled from the school!!

And NOW that he is being pulled from the school (and Isabella will not be attending at all) after the report that was issued over the weekend....all of sudden, the CPC's decision is all about hidden motives and Mary being some self-entitled twit, or some "woke" agenda (is that throwing shade as us Americans btw?) or pressure from the media, etc. They are obviously NOW ruining Christian for removing him from a school with how some put it a systemic history of bullying, violence against girls, etc. Now it is blame Mary, blame Frederik...the kids were forced...they are unhappy...They will resent their parents! At some point it was even Christian's fault for some reason. IF Mary/Frederik had bowed to outside pressure, they would have yanked Christian long before this. I think it was the opposite actually. They made the decision on THEIR own terms as a FAMILY. They always stated that they would make the most informed decision possible and once the report was published, as they stated, they had the information necessary to make the final decision. Period. Of course they understand their position as CP Couple. If they didn't then they would be criticized for that too! Like I said, they just cannot win for some and maybe it comes down to simple projection of people's opinions onto them. But it is easy to judge people's actions when they don't affect YOU and they don't involve YOU or YOUR kids.

So what I understand from all the comments is that Mary/Frederik were awful for sending Christian to the school AND they were awful if they kept him IN the school AND they are NOW awful for taking him OUT of the school!! Which is it? Please pick a lane here! At this point, I would not be shocked to see Mary and Frederik blamed for the entire historical issues at the school!

People have different opinions; that's one of the beautiful aspects of a forum such as this one. As far as I can see those that were critical of them leaving Christian in such an environment are glad they (finally) made a different decision; and those that were happy with him staying now express the view that they shouldn't have pulled him out. And some might have been fine previously but now more information is available understand why they've made this decision. I don't see a discrepancy in different people having different opinions. I would be concerned if they didn't.

Originally Posted by kalnel

Two different issues are getting confused in this conversation: What's right for Christian and Isabella as individuals, and what's right for the royal house's PR.

We have no idea what's right for those kids and saying that they'll be happy or sad about the decision is pure speculation. These teenagers deserve their privacy to every extent possible. (I wouldn't be surprised to see Christian attend a school outside of Denmark next year to take some of the pressure off.)

While we don't know what Christian and Isabella think now, we do know that they wanted to continue going to or starting at Herlufsholm after the documentary that showed very problematic things happening had been aired. So, the fact that these things were happening did not deter them (and Christian most likely has at least seen some of it - it is impossible to keep these traditions that are considered part of the school culture hidden). So, it us unlikely that they suddenly changed their mind based on this report.

Originally Posted by Prinsara

Muhler, how naive could they be when they said they would still send Isabella just weeks ago? Unless they do some serious groveling, I think they probably deserve whatever consequences arise from this, at least for a while.

Originally Posted by Muhler

Because they believed in the reassurances of the then board that things were changing and being taken care of?
And because they wanted to give the board a chance of actually making some radical changes?

I can see how they might have taken that route with Christian who was already at the school (so giving them some time to fix it instead of uprooting him makes some sense) but to have your daughter switch schools in her final year (so uprooting her!) to attend a school that has serious issues and has mostly paid lip service to making changes is quite a gamble. Much better to wait until those necessary changes have been made...

[Muhler]

Originally Posted by Izzie

IMO I do think they've learned a lesson with this situation. Unless that is just my naivety showing.

Do I think that they fumbled the football at the start...Yes. And that fumble should be a wake-up call for them to seriously evaluate their communications strategy and PR protocol and maybe engage someone to the employ that is capable of handling these types of issues in a 21st century manner.

I think, as parents, they wanted to make their kids happy. No fault in that. They thought as parents first and CP Couple second. A totally human thing to do. Lest anyone forgets that Mary and Frederik and their children are actual human beings (flaws and all).

I just don't understand all the piling on Mary and Frederik right now! None of us know all the details of what they were facing or dealing with. And NO, I don't think they need to go on some Mea Culpa tour or grovel in front of anyone!! And what punishment are they supposed to receive? A public flogging in Amalienborg square? A public talking to in front of Parliament"? Should they be stripped of patronages? Should Mary disband The Mary Foundation? It is like everyone wants their pound of flesh now!

I swear comments sometimes make it sound like they literally slaughtered puppies and kicked old ladies into the harbor!! Sorry if that sounds extreme..but geez, you'd think they'd committed murder!!

From the start they called out what was happening. More than once they said that they basically were waiting to make the most informed decision possible. It is obvious now that they were waiting to for this official report to be released. As their statement said, they now had the information needed and the kids would not be going to the school. Period.

And no, they didn't bow to public pressure or some "woke" voices. I don't think this was reactive at all tbh. They've been in the spotlight of this for months and they didn't yank the kids willy nilly. THAT would have been reactive. At least in my naive opinion.

That pretty much sums it up IMO.

[Prinsara]

Originally Posted by Mbruno

And I apologize if I am being overcritical of the male gender, but put a bunch of boys together in an environment where they get to make their own rules and build their own social hierarchy, and, yes, you will get Lord of the Flies (or a lighter version thereof). We see it in several young male initiation rites as far back as ancient history.

It's hardly "male gender" alone. The Duchess of Cambridge suffered very serious bullying (essentially, assault) at her all-girls' boarding school that led to a move to Marlborough.

Originally Posted by Izzie

IMO I do think they've learned a lesson with this situation. Unless that is just my naivety showing.

Do I think that they fumbled the football at the start...Yes. And that fumble should be a wake-up call for them to seriously evaluate their communications strategy and PR protocol and maybe engage someone to the employ that is capable of handling these types of issues in a 21st century manner.

I think, as parents, they wanted to make their kids happy. No fault in that. They thought as parents first and CP Couple second. A totally human thing to do. Lest anyone forgets that Mary and Frederik and their children are actual human beings (flaws and all).

I just don't understand all the piling on Mary and Frederik right now! None of us know all the details of what they were facing or dealing with. And NO, I don't think they need to go on some Mea Culpa tour or grovel in front of anyone!! And what punishment are they supposed to receive? A public flogging in Amalienborg square? A public talking to in front of Parliament"? Should they be stripped of patronages? Should Mary disband The Mary Foundation? It is like everyone wants their pound of flesh now!

I swear comments sometimes make it sound like they literally slaughtered puppies and kicked old ladies into the harbor!! Sorry if that sounds extreme..but geez, you'd think they'd committed murder!!

From the start they called out what was happening. More than once they said that they basically were waiting to make the most informed decision possible. It is obvious now that they were waiting to for this official report to be released. As their statement said, they now had the information needed and the kids would not be going to the school. Period.

And no, they didn't bow to public pressure or some "woke" voices. I don't think this was reactive at all tbh. They've been in the spotlight of this for months and they didn't yank the kids willy nilly. THAT would have been reactive. At least in my naive opinion.

At, seemingly, the whims of their teenagers, they left Christian in a place and enthusiastically promised to enroll Isabella where crimes were being committed against other students.

And only took them out once the overwhelming nature of it all became public fodder — because I am guessing they themselves had some idea. Or at least access to this report or its contents slightly before.

It's not only not a good look, it's about a bit more than just bad PR. (Although I am told egalitarian Denmark is not thrilled atm.)

If your job is literally to respond to national tragedies? Figuring out how to respond to this one not-through-issued-statement would seem to be in pretty short order. (And no, pulling the kids is not enough. That would have been enough before, maybe. Now they ought to do more.)

[Muhler]

I think M&F are first and foremost guilty in trusting what their friends (even Nikolai - a nephew. Not to mention their own son!) told them about life at Herlufsholm. Based on what some of these friends experienced themselves when they went there and/or their children who went there.

And that is no doubt true.

The vast majority who attends Herlufsholm no doubt have a great time, building close friendships and they are not bullied, and probably don't bully themselves.

But humans are blind.

All of us have a tendency to close our eyes for unpleasant things or chose not to see the problems or at the very least downplay them.
- Especially if it involves people we don't like, or who are "weird," "odd" or somehow don't fit into the group.
The eyes are closed even more if it's an unpopular/entitled person who is being "taken down".
Is that an excuse? No. But take a look in the mirror and ask yourselves if you haven't closed your eyes yourselves from time to time - as adults.
And the pupils at Herlufsholm are teens.

So the majority no doubt had a great time at Herlufsholm. That's what they talk about and that's what they choose to remember.
For others the time there was so-so, but they weren't bothered and have since moved on.
For a few it was hell. - But they don't talk about. Victims rarely talk about being bullied. Better to forget it. Sweep it under the rug. Perhaps even dish out some payback, when it's their turn.

I find it likely that M&F talked with former board, who no doubt would have reassured them that yes, there have been a few problems but it's being taken care of. Don't you worry.
It's naive of course to trust the former chairman, because what chairman would admit there are serious problems when the school is about to land the greatest catch of all: The first future king among the pupils at the school.

In an ideal world the DRF would have sent someone to discreetly investigate the school thoroughly but that's not how it works. You trust what your friends tell you.

And I find it hard to blame M&F for being trusting.

[Prinsara]

Indeed. They trusted their children's comfort, and their own reputations — after the school's problems were revealed — that they would be quickly manageable. Or perhaps not quite that bad.

Now they are going to have to figure out how to fix what has become a personal issue.

[Izzie]

Originally Posted by Prinsara

At, seemingly, the whims of their teenagers, they left Christian in a place and enthusiastically promised to enroll Isabella where crimes were being committed against other students.

And only took them out once the overwhelming nature of it all became public fodder — because I am guessing they themselves had some idea. Or at least access to this report or its contents slightly before.

It's not only not a good look, it's about a bit more than just bad PR. (Although I am told egalitarian Denmark is not thrilled atm.)

If your job is literally to respond to national tragedies? Figuring out how to respond to this one not-through-issued-statement would seem to be in pretty short order. (And no, pulling the kids is not enough. That would have been enough before, maybe. Now they ought to do more.)

So now it has moved on to blaming the kids?

And what exactly are M&F supposed to do "more" of? They aren't the saviors of the school?

What exactly should they do? PSAs? Instructional videos? TED talks? What? Then they will be criticized for that too most likely. Should Frederik use his special forces training to invade the school and rid them of bullies? Should Mary hold a Free From Bullying marathon?

I am seriously confused as to what Mary and Frederik are now being demanded that they do? Like I said, what pound of flesh would people like?

Maybe some of that energy should be aimed at keeping the school in focus to make sure that they don't slide on what they have been ordered to do. Keep the school in check and ask for actions from that institution. Should that NOT be the focus? Why are the CP Couple and apparently their children the poster people for this?

I guess you just cannot please everyone.

[FigTree]

Having royal children at a school must be very stressful. It is no easy thing. What has happened at this school seems to me a complete safeguarding failing and in the UK the school would probably be closed. It is impossible for them to send their children there both because of what has happened but also now that the school is essentially starting from scratch now that it doesn’t have the stress of the royal children.

I would imagine that Christian at least may come to the UK next year to board. Perhaps where Alexia and Leonor are.

[Marengo]

True Muhler, people do tend to trust their friends, fortunately for the most part.

There is a class aspect to this matter as well. They would not be the first among the elite who may think that such concerns are for little people to worry about but do not apply to them/ their friends, because these things only happen in less priviliged settings.

In Belgium and the Netherlands we had several cases of elitist student societies initiation/hazing practices where students were killed/died. As in this school, for a long time it was all treated as unfortunate incidents, hushed up and the various boards and universities are/were reluctant to change. Minor disciplinary measures were taken, also as not to hamper these excellent young men in their future -and undoubtably promissing- carreers.

There is a case in Louvain, Belgium at the moment about the 2018 death of Sandra Dia -a young man from a Senegalese background who died of hypothermia after 30 hours of humiliations and worse during one of these rituals.

18 students are now finally procecuted, all sons of prominent lawyers, doctors, business people etc. This happened only after an initially weak response (a group chat and 30 hours of community service) and subsequent public outcry. Much to their surprise as many of these types seldom face the consequences of their actions.

Although the Danish boarding school was not on this level of depravity, much of the mechanisms, the toxic culture and behavior will be simular, including the behavior of parents.

I fully understand that some will wonder if it is desirable for their future head of state to be educated in such an environment and at such a critical age for is development. Pulling him out was the only right decision to make and the crown prince and princess were correct in doing so once the report was published and the extend of the problem became clear.

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by FigTree

I would imagine that Christian at least may come to the UK next year to board. Perhaps where Alexia and Leonor are.

I think that would be the best thing to do at this point, I mean, boarding overseas. But I don't know how it would be viewed in Denmark. For example, do Danes expect their princes to complete their secondary education in Danish schools? Maybe Muhler or other Danish member can comment on that.

[Chronojourner]

Originally Posted by Izzie

I guess you just cannot please everyone can you. First it was the child must be pulled! He cannot stay there! An abomination!! The CP Couple will be the worst parents evah!!! We as strangers on the internet DEMAND that he is pulled from the school!!

And NOW that he is being pulled from the school (and Isabella will not be attending at all) after the report that was issued over the weekend....all of sudden, the CPC's decision is all about hidden motives and Mary being some self-entitled twit, or some "woke" agenda (is that throwing shade as us Americans btw?) or pressure from the media, etc. They are obviously NOW ruining Christian for removing him from a school with how some put it a systemic history of bullying, violence against girls, etc. Now it is blame Mary, blame Frederik...the kids were forced...they are unhappy...They will resent their parents! At some point it was even Christian's fault for some reason. IF Mary/Frederik had bowed to outside pressure, they would have yanked Christian long before this. I think it was the opposite actually. They made the decision on THEIR own terms as a FAMILY. They always stated that they would make the most informed decision possible and once the report was published, as they stated, they had the information necessary to make the final decision. Period. Of course they understand their position as CP Couple. If they didn't then they would be criticized for that too! Like I said, they just cannot win for some and maybe it comes down to simple projection of people's opinions onto them. But it is easy to judge people's actions when they don't affect YOU and they don't involve YOU or YOUR kids.

So what I understand from all the comments is that Mary/Frederik were awful for sending Christian to the school AND they were awful if they kept him IN the school AND they are NOW awful for taking him OUT of the school!! Which is it? Please pick a lane here! At this point, I would not be shocked to see Mary and Frederik blamed for the entire historical issues at the school!

I don’t think Mary and Frederik are bad at all. I think they are two parents trying to do the best they can by their children. Obviously, they wanted to have a fact-based professional opinion to base their decision on and so waited for the Agency’s report to come out before finalizing their decision, but I suspect that, unless that report produced some shocking revaluations in favor of Herlufsholm, that this is always where they were headed. One does not make important life decisions based on media reports, but on facts and careful study. In fact they specifically said that, either in one of the statements or in one of their responses to a media question. Myself, I think they’re doing pretty well, all things considered.

[Somebody]

I don't think they would have stressed how much Christian liked the school and that Isabella was looking forward to attending and that they supported and trusted the board to take the right measures as much if they were only waiting for confirmation to pull out. Had that been the case, they would have worded their previous statements very differently imho. They would have been stressing that they were waiting for the full report to come out, so they could make an informed decision. That wasn't the focus of their previous messages but seemed more like a way to defend their decision to keep them - as not everything was known - so most likely it wasn't as bad?! Or improvements were imminent?!

[Muhler]

Originally Posted by Mbruno

I think that would be the best thing to do at this point, I mean, boarding overseas. But I don't know how it would be viewed in Denmark. For example, do Danes expect their princes to complete their secondary education in Danish schools? Maybe Muhler or other Danish member can comment on that.

I was just reading an article about that a few hours ago.

Boarding in another country was indeed one of the options. Schools in France or Britain being mentioned as obvious candidates.
(BTW I think Australia is too far away, considering Christian's age.)

I think the general public sentiment right now is that M&F distance themselves from Herlufsholm as much as possible.
The obvious alternative being a (de facto elitist) high school in DK. Marselisborg High School in Aarhus was mentioned BTW.

But I don't think the public would mind if they choose to send him to a foreign boarding school, as long as it has a good reputation, because at least the Danish press will sniff around any foreign school M&F should choose, to see if there are problems like the ones at Herlufsholm.
And as Marengo pointed out, problems at boarding schools, even the better ones, are not uncommon.
And as someone also pointed out, the problem with schools that has a prefect system is that they have a tendency to turn into a version of the Lord of the Flies.

I think a Danish high school is the most likely for practical reasons. M&F may have been preparing for this eventuality, perhaps even expecting it, and been looking around for alternatives for a month or so no. But if they haven't they only got six weeks. And that's a very short time to check and approach foreign schools.
It would also make it easier for Christian to make the transition in regards to his curriculum.

I have a small bet on Aarhus, because I imagine some of M&F's friends who also have children at Herlufsholm, may pull their children out as well. And if Christian is fond of boarding (it indicates that M&F have brought him up to be a confident person) the option of living in Aarhus with friends and attend a high school there would be an interesting compromise. They just need someone to keep an eye on them, apart from the PET officers.

In short: The public says: Anywhere but Herlufsholm or anyplace with a hint of problems like Herlufsholm!

The new chairman has issued a statement summing up the problems at the school. He's not a former Supreme Court judge for nothing:
"The basis for the values (at the school) is very much honed on being individualistic. That is not necessarily bad, but it probably highlights the individual while sacrificing the communal sense/interests. (Which is in contrast to what the state schools teach.)
Such a culture creates problems for the weak. The strong will after all do well anyway."
https://jyllands-posten.dk/indland/E...-for-de-svage/

[Izzie]

Muhler: Do you know if this new Chairman will be the one to pick the new board? Any indication of how the new board will be assembled? Some type of election process? Appointments by the education agency that was part of the latest report? How will people be vetted?

I do think it is interesting that the new Chairman has a background in the legal arena.