A non-practising solicitor who was convicted of stalking two years ago has been struck off the roll. Adrian Robert Berkeley, admitted in October 1993, has not held a practising certificate since 2015 but is the co-founder of LawFriend, a Manchester-based company which offers legal services. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal was told LawFriend is a non-authorised entity.
Berkeley, who did not appear and was not represented before the three-person SDT panel, was found to have sent an email to the sons of 'Miss G' whom he met during a speed dating event. The email stated he had been instructed by their mother; was instructed to act as her next of kin; had instructions to bring a claim for false imprisonment and assault; that her sons were removed as her next of kin; that his charging rate was £500 per hour; and 'Ms G', intended to transfer her property to him.
Berekely was also found to have stalked Ms A between June 2023 and November 2023. Berkeley was convicted by Manchester magistrates’ court in June 2024 of stalking involving serious alarm or distress.
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Opening the tribunal case Susannah Stevens, for the SRA, said: ‘The respondent’s conduct is in relation to two women and their families. The first woman, who has been anonymised to Miss G…was at the time an extremely vulnerable woman. She suffers from mental health issues and her vulnerability was at a level that at the material time she had actually been sectioned under the Mental Health Act.'
The tribunal heard Ms G’s sons did not have any knowledge of Berkeley until he was contacted by him. After receiving the email, one of the sons reported Berkeley to the SRA.
Berkeley provided material to the SRA which included a thread of WhatsApp messages in which he mentioned that he had 'been arrested and bailed in relation to a criminal offence’, Stevens said. Berkeley had denied stalking but was convicted following a trial in which Ms A gave evidence. He was sentenced to 26 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.
Correspondence from Berkeley to the SRA was read out in which he admitted writing the letter to Ms G’s sons ‘to shake the boys into showing if they were trying to take her money or if they cared’. He said he was ‘not a mental health solicitor’ and was ‘only ever required to make a shot across the bow to flush out any of the activities of her sons against her interest’.
Stevens added that Berkeley’s charging rate ‘was not £500 an hour. When he said his charging rate was £500 an hour, that was plainly dishonest.’
The tribunal heard Berkeley received a police warning to not contact Ms A and was arrested as a result of his conduct toward her but ‘continued his conduct towards her’.
‘Violence against women cannot be tolerated in today’s day and age by any professional,’ Stevens said.
Chair Mark Millin said both allegations were found proved and Berkeley was found to have lacked integrity and that his conduct had been dishonest. ‘The respondent acted in a manner which failed to uphold the public trust and confidence in the solicitor’s profession,’ he said.
Berkeley was struck off the roll and ordered to pay £22,608 costs.
