Two solicitors have become the first to be charged with alleged misconduct linked to the Post Office scandal.
Jane MacLeod and Nick Gould have been referred to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal in relation to their conduct following the scandal's exposure. The Solicitors Regulation Authority said today it can take action on these cases because they are unlikely to prejudice criminal investigations or the ongoing public inquiry.
MacLeod was the general counsel of the Post Office from 2015 to 2019 – her tenure coinciding with the Bates litigation – and was asked to appear before the public inquiry in 2024 to answer questions about the advice she provided about how the case should be defended and what internal documents should be disclosed.
But having moved to Australia, she declined to appear before the inquiry either in person or through a video link. Inquiry counsel Jason Beer KC told chair Sir Wyn Williams: ‘We are not going to hear from her. She lives abroad and won’t co-operate.’
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The SRA decision notice alleges that between 11 April 2024 and 31 July 2024, MacLeod failed to co-operate fully with the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry in relation to a request for her to give oral evidence to the Inquiry.
Gould was not a Post Office lawyer but represented former sub-postmistress Seema Misra pro bono for her conviction being overturned in 2021. It has been reported that following her conviction being quashed, she signed a retainer for the provision of commercial legal services and was later required by him to pay £60,000 in legal fees.
The SRA alleges that between May 2021 and April 2025, Gould failed to provide adequate information in respect of the likely overall costs, the costs that were incurred and the legal work that he was instructed to undertake.
It is further alleged that Gould raised invoices without providing adequate justification, send correspondence which was inappropriate and/or offensive and breached his duty of client confidentiality.
The allegations involve two unnamed clients.
Charges against both MacLeod and Gould are subject to a hearing before the SDT and are as yet unproven. Gould declined to comment when approached by the Gazette.
In a statement, Jonathan Peddie, executive director of investigations, enforcement and litigation at the SRA said: ‘We have referred two cases to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. The cases refer to conduct that took place in the period after the main events of the Post Office Horizon scandal.
‘Our wider investigations are still ongoing. This includes issues relating directly to the Horizon scandal, where we are working closely with the Inquiry team and the Metropolitan Police. We can and will act if we find that solicitors we regulate fail to meet our standards.’
