Oxford Grad Sues University Over His Failed Law Career

An Oxford University graduate says the prestigious school's "appallingly bad" teaching is why he failed to become a successful lawyer, so he's suing it for $1.27 million, the American Lawyer reports. Faiz Siddiqui graduated Oxford in 2000 with a degree in modern history and later studied to become a lawyer. According to the Guardian, the 38-year-old claims he would be a "high-flying commercial barrister" by now if Oxford had given him better grades—grades he certainly would have earned had the teaching at Oxford not been "boring" and "negligent."

Siddiqui's specific issue is with a course on Indian imperial history he took during his final year. His lawyer claims Siddiqui and a dozen or so other students received unusually low grades in the course due to a "specific problem with the teaching." Oxford admits to some issues with the course, as half of its Asian history teaching staff were on leave at the time. Siddiqui says that not only did the low marks in that course cost him a successful career in law but left him with depression and insomnia. He estimates he's suffered $1.27 million in lost wages thanks to Oxford. The university tried to get the lawsuit thrown out, but a judge ruled Monday that it "has a case to answer," the Oxford Mail reports. (Law firm's suit over bad Yelp review backfires.)