A former claims handler with Midlands practice Shakespeare Martineau has agreed to be removed from the profession after doctoring an email to another solicitors firm.

Narinder Kaur Rayat, who had been with the firm for more than three years, had been acting for a car rental company to recover losses after one of its cars was damaged in a collision. During the course of the case, she spoke to solicitors representing the driver of the other vehicle and said that his insurer had accepted liability for the accident.

The solicitors asked her to provide a copy of the email confirming that liability for the accident had been admitted; Rayat then altered an earlier email from the insurer – which had made no admission of liability – to read that ‘liability is not in dispute’. This email was sent to the other driver’s solicitors, who identified it had been altered and reported Rayat’s conduct to her firm.

Within a couple of weeks, Rayat resigned from Shakespeare Martineau during the course of its disciplinary investigation.

According to a regulatory settlement agreement with the SRA, Rayat admitted she had sought to mislead another firm by altering the content of an email, and accepted she had been dishonest.

She asked the SRA to take into account that she admitted her conduct to her firm and to the SRA, she expressed regret and remorse for her action, and she had cooperated with the SRA investigation.

Rayat, as a non-solicitor, was made subject to a section 43 order, which prevents her working for any SRA-regulated entity without getting permission from the regulator. She will also pay the SRA’s £300 costs.