An unregistered barrister has been disbarred for lying about his status in chambers – when he had not even made an application to the chambers in question.
Naseem Ahmed Bajwa, called to the bar in May 2012, was ordered to be disbarred by an independent disciplinary tribunal which found Bajwa acted without integrity by recklessly misleading or attempting to mislead the Bar Council and/or the Bar Standards Board in providing false information as part of his authorisation to practise application.
The five-person tribunal made findings of professional misconduct against Bajwa.
Bajwa stated in his application that he was a door tenant at Martin Burr Chambers and would start practising as a self-employed barrister at the chambers in January 2022. But, the tribunal found, Bajwa had not made an application for tenancy at the chambers and did not hold the status of a door tenant.
The Bar Tribunals & Adjudication Service (TBTAS) found two charges against Bajwa proved and ordered he be disbarred. The tribunal also ordered Bajwa to pay costs of £2,670.
A BSB spokesperson said: ‘Dishonestly misleading the regulator is a serious form of professional misconduct which is likely to diminish the confidence that the public places in an individual barrister or the profession as a whole. The tribunal’s decision to disbar Mr Bajwa rightly demonstrates that such conduct is manifestly incompatible with the high standards expected of the bar.’
The tribunal’s decision is open to appeal.
