Today I got to explain what a conflict of interest is

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein) 10/16/2015 at 12:06 • Filed to: None

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I’m the career services director at a tech college. A few months ago, one of our students was in a pretty bad motorcycle accident. He’s doing something about a settlement, and today he brought in paperwork from his William Shatner-endorsed lawyer, that he asked employees of the school to officially witness him signing.

This guy, well, he’s unique. He likes to come ask for extra help with non-school-related things from the school employees. Occasionally we help students fax personal stuff but that’s about the extent of it. He wanted to fax these documents, but first, oh hey can someone around here witness him signing them?

I had to explain that because he owes our school money, employees of the school can’t get involved in his personal financial dealings, especially dealings that would give him a bunch of money which would then come to the school.

“What’s the big deal? The lawyer told me anyone who’s over 18 can sign this. What if you went on your break and signed it? Then would it be ok?”

DUDE, NO! WE CAN’T DO THAT! The only financial relationship anyone from the school can have with him is our financial aid people working in an official capacity with him to pay for school. Anything else is a conflict of interest.

He got all annoyed that he had to go home, get one of his roommates to sign it, and then come back and fax it to us. He also talked about flagging down a random person at the gas station down the street to be his witness so he’d have a shorter trip. Whatever dude, as long as you don’t keep trying to get school employees to sign it. Just in case, I sent an email to everyone else who works here reminding them not to sign this dude’s paperwork.

I still don’t know why William Shatner endorses a random ambulance chaser law firm in Wisconsin though.

Jcarr > Textured Soy Protein 10/16/2015 at 12:15

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They’re in Iowa, too. I see Shat all the time on TV. They have an office in the same building as one of our offices.

He should have called Burgers and Greens.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Textured Soy Protein 10/16/2015 at 12:20

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I still don’t know why William Shatner endorses a random ambulance chaser law firm in Wisconsin though.

I don’t know either, but I saw the commercial in a bar when I was up there last week, and I found myself wondering the same thing.

WiscoProud > Textured Soy Protein 10/16/2015 at 12:21

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Shatner endorses them because they pay him. Nothing more.

My brother-in-law worked there for years before going to work for a competitor. The personal injury world is very interesting to say the least. He would be on call and would have to rush to hospitals to get people to sign. He was LITERALLY an ambulance chaser. Also apparently one the partners would absolutely lose his mind if there was extra time left on the microwave.

Chariotoflove > Textured Soy Protein 10/16/2015 at 12:30

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You seem very confident of this, but I have to say that I find your determination an unusually broad interpretation of “conflict of interest.” From what you say, the gentleman was only asking for a witness to the fact that he was the one signing something. Neither the institution nor the employee asked has a financial interest in that. Your inference that this is a conflict because he is pursuing money from a settlement and that some of that money may eventually be used to pay his school debts seems like an unreasonable stretch, especially if the institution does not stand to receive more or less money from this person no matter how his settlement turns out.

Dunnik > Textured Soy Protein 10/16/2015 at 12:47

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I still don’t know why William Shatner endorses a random ambulance chaser law firm in Wisconsin though.

Because he’s a whore.

Textured Soy Protein > Chariotoflove 10/16/2015 at 12:52

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The maximum amount of money the school will receive from him doesn’t change if he gets the settlement. But the school is one of his creditors, so him receiving a financial windfall directly affects his ability to pay his creditors, including the school.

The school does a lot of collections from current and former students who are not paying their bills. Many students and grads are in varying degrees of delinquency on their payments.

I’m not in our financial aid department so I have no idea if this guy’s in good standing on his payments to us. But it doesn’t seem that far of a leap to me that as one of his creditors, we shouldn’t be signing any documents related to his personal finances that are outside the scope of our normal interactions with him paying for school.

HammerheadFistpunch > Textured Soy Protein 10/16/2015 at 12:55

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“I still don’t know why William Shatner endorses a random ambulance chaser law firm in Wisconsin though.”

haveacarortwoorthree2 > Textured Soy Protein 10/16/2015 at 13:08

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I can understand why you wouldn’t want to sign as a witness, but I agree that your definition of “conflict of interest” is far broader than it needs to be. But ya ain’t gotta do what ya don’t wanna do, so more power to you.

MuchWagon > Textured Soy Protein 10/16/2015 at 14:41

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I’m not MuchWagon Esquire, but I don’t see the conflict. Witnessing a document is only that, has nothing to do with your approval of the material in the document, the person signing it, etc... Just saying I saw this dude sign his name to this paper, on this date.