![David Lester (senior partner at Blythe Liggins), Darryl Barnes, Jagdeep Sandher (head of dispute resolution at Blythe Liggins)[4]](https://d1d8vslyhr7rdg.cloudfront.net/Pictures/274x183/4/2/8/116428_davidlesterseniorpartneratblytheligginsdarrylbarnesjagdeepsandherheadofdisputeresolutionatblytheliggins4_981603_crop.jpg)
A ‘disgraceful’ London solicitor has been banned after ignoring a client who had paid him a £10,000 retainer for immigration work.
Qunmber Bin Ehsan was struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal after it found that he provided a ‘thoroughly inadequate service’ which was likely to have a profoundly negative effect on the reputation of the profession.
Bin Ehsan was found to have acted dishonestly after failing to repay the £10,000 despite an express agreement to do so and evading several attempts by the client to contact him.
‘[His conduct] amounted to a flagrant failure to meet the minimal ethical standards of the profession,’ said the tribunal.
Bin Ehsan, sole director of Cavendish Family Office Mayfair Limited, was absent from the one-day hearing in January having not engaged with the disciplinary process.
The tribunal heard he had agreed the retainer in 2018 to secure permanent UK residency for his client’s parents. He promised that a ‘team of consultants’ would assist with the application and required a £10,000 payment upfront ‘to get matters moving’, with a further £10,000 to be paid later. He stated in an email that ‘in the unlikely event that the application is unsuccessful, you will receive a full refund’.
After the payment was made, the client said Eshan proved difficult to get hold of and provided no information or updates.
He told her that a man referred to as ‘Imran’ was handling her case, but when she called this individual Imran said he did not work with Bin Ehsan. Imran later offered to help and provided telephone advice to the client, following which she paid a further £7,000 to someone who accompanied her to Spain on two trips. The client signed documents, written in Spanish, that were purported to be assisting with her parents’ application, and after that Imran too became uncontactable.
Bin Ehsan did not respond to any subsequent messages from his client, even when she threatened to report the matter to the police.
The tribunal said Bin Ehsan, a solicitor for 15 years, was ‘plainly aware’ of the terms of the retainer but was evasive once he received the money. He was struck off and ordered to pay £21,500 costs.
