A former Reed Smith partner in Greece who allegedly 'instructed' his secretary to bill clients for his personal expenses for a trip to London with his daughter has been referred to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
George Panagopoulos, a maritime and shipping specialist who was managing partner of the international firm’s Athens office, is said to have told his secretary to bill three Reed Smith clients for the expenses in October 2019.
The solicitor is also said to have ‘altered billing documents’ in February 2020, the day before a meeting ‘at which he knew he would be questioned about his expenses’, according to the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s decision to refer him to the SDT.
Panagopoulos, 53, then allegedly told Reed Smith that ‘the alterations he made to the billing documents immediately prior to the meeting were made at the time he first reviewed these documents, knowing that the representation was untrue’.
The SDT has certified that there is a case to answer in respect of the allegations, which are subject to a hearing before the tribunal and are unproven.
Panagopoulos spent nearly 18 years at Reed Smith, becoming a partner in 2010 before he was appointed Athens managing partner in 2014, according to his LinkedIn profile.
A Reed Smith spokesperson said: ‘The firm holds itself to the highest professional standards and takes its regulatory obligations extremely seriously. Following an internal investigation in line with those standards and obligations, we notified the SRA of this matter. As the hearing is yet to take place it would be inappropriate to comment further.’
The Gazette was unable to contact Panagopoulos for comment.
