A former senior associate at an international firm has been struck off the roll after admitting to sexually assaulting a child.
Stuart Cottis, admitted on 2 September 2002, was employed as an associate at Ashurst from July 2012 to January 2021 and then a senior associate at Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP from May 2022 to June 2023.
In 2023 at Southwark Crown Court Cottis admitted attempting sexual communication with a child and arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence. He was sentenced to 36 months imprisonment. Cottis was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for 11 years.
In November 2024, Cottis was sentenced to a further 10 months imprisonment after admitting intentional touching a child aged between nine and 10 years old and intentionally communicating sexually with a person under 16.
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal said Cottis was ‘unrepresented and incarcerated’.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority was made aware of Cottis’ wrongdoing after the compliance officer for legal practice at Ashurst LLP informed the regulator and a similar report was made to the SRA by in-house counsel at Eversheds Sutherland.
Striking Cottis off the roll, the judgment on the agreed outcome between Cottis and the SRA said: ‘Within the sphere of regulatory and disciplinary conduct there could be no mitigation to minimise the harm. The seriousness of the misconduct was self-evident and no sanction less than a strike off would be sufficient to protect the public and the reputation of the profession.’
Cottis was also ordered to pay the costs of the SRA’s application, totalling £3,870.
