Beckwith to appeal SDT ruling
Solicitor for former Freshfields partner confirms grounds to appeal were filed last Wednesday.
Retiring solicitor took on new matters despite pledge to shut down
Colin Grooms was also found to have failed to co-operate with the legal ombudsman over a client complaint.
SDT: Decisions and interventions
Decisions filed recently with the Law Society (which may be subject to appeal).
Bar suspends lawyer who was struck off by SDT
Aurang Khattak was struck off the roll of solicitors in 2012 following repeated breaches of the Solicitors’ Accounts Rules.
SDT decisions
Decisions filed recently with the Law Society (which may be subject to appeal).
Solicitor who overcharged clients and lied about bills struck off
Ieuan Michael Jones was found to have overcharged clients to keep the firm afloat and financially benefit.
Novice solicitor struck off over backdated signatures on legal aid form
Charles Myers also sought to destroy documents by putting them through the shredder.
Dishonest solicitor misled clients about case progress to ‘buy time’
Catherine Sandbach agrees to be struck off the roll of solicitors.
Solicitor cleared of overcharging with £45,000 estate bill
Tribunal finds Somerset practitioner was entitled to believe at the time that fees were correct.
SDT decisions
Decisions filed recently with the Law Society (which may be subject to appeal).
Four months on, SDT publishes Beckwith judgment
Solicitors Regulation Authority claimed £343,957 in costs, which tribunal reduced to £200,000.
Veteran solicitor sorry after diverting £84k to shore up ailing firm
John Leonard Turner offers wholehearted apology ahead of being struck off for dishonesty.
Solicitor who refused penniless asylum seeker legal aid struck off
The tribunal found the solicitor had ‘taken advantage’ of an ‘inherently vulnerable’ client.
SDT decisions
Decisions filed recently with the Law Society (which may be subject to appeal).
Tribunal hits SRA for costs after ‘shambolic’ prosecution
Regulator ordered to pay solicitor Nabeel Sheikh’s £63,000 costs after failed attempt to prosecute.
Solicitor 'duped' into instructing banned barrister
East London practitioner also found to have allowed firm to be used as banking facility for property investor.
SDT decisions
Decisions filed recently with the Law Society (which may be subject to appeal).
SDT decisions
Decisions filed recently with the Law Society (which may be subject to appeal)
Solicitor struck off over Norwegian harassment convictions
Practitioner claimed not to know of duty to report.
Solicitor struck off, but tribunal ticks off SRA over ‘poor’ preparation
Former Cardiff head of clinical negligence is removed from profession after finding of dishonesty.
Decisions and interventions
Decisions filed recently with the Law Society (which may be subject to appeal).
Solicitor who vanished after taking £250k of client money struck off
Nicholas Paul Tsioupras left trainee to ‘pick up the pieces’ after withdrawing over a quarter of a million pounds from the client account.
Solicitor fooled by ‘bogus’ lawyer allowed firm to be used for fraud
Johnbosco Onyeme was ‘in some respects a victim’ of his employee’s identity fraud, tribunal finds.
£20,000 fine for solicitor duped by woman impersonating client’s ex-wife
Andrew James Daverson ‘failed to carry out basic documentary identification’, tribunal hears.
Solicitor could not manage practice on legal aid payments
Veteran criminal defence practitioner accepts mistakes and says he will now leave the profession.
Long-serving solicitor fined for attaching wrong map to application
Lesley Charne Seifert, who was admitted over 40 years ago, was ordered to pay £3,000.
Baker McKenzie hearing adjourned until end of April
Firm’s former head of HR will face the tribunal next spring having been unable to attend much of this month’s hearing.
Bakers GC not told about Senior investigation, tribunal hears
General counsel's role was to ensure firm complied with regulatory obligations.
Regulatory issue? 'Didn't occur to us,' Bakers partner tells tribunal
Former partner involved in investigation asked why 2012 matter was not reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Solicitors fined for ‘cavalier’ approach to accounts
Two solicitors must pay almost £40,000 in fines and legal costs between them.
Tribunal rails at ‘wholly discredited’ witness relied upon by SRA
Most serious charges dropped after SDT finds serious flaws with submissions from lying former client.
Veteran solicitor ‘borrowed’ thousands from client with dementia
Phillip York struck off after tribunal found he was dishonest in his handling of estate.
Baker McKenzie boss 'dictated' apology note to HR chief
Former London managing partner Gary Senior continues to be cross-examined at start of second week of tribunal hearing.
Dishonest solicitor struck off claims she was not supported by firm
Tribunal hears that Bethany Reay also felt threatened by clients who would not take 'No' for an answer.
Decisions
Decisions filed recently with the Law Society (which may be subject to appeal).
Baker McKenzie lawyer questions Gary Senior over emails
Former London managing partner acknowledges that correspondence read cold several years later 'looks odd'.
Gary Senior 'micro-managed' investigation, tribunal told
Former managing partner cross-examined on third day of a hearing into allegations of sexual harassment dating from 2012.
Former Baker McKenzie chief admits 'inappropriate' behaviour
Gary Senior cross-examined in case brought over incident of alleged sexual harassment involving junior associate.
Baker McKenzie didn't brush Person A under the carpet, tribunal hears
Witness says she waited outside hotel room - but Gary Senior's request to be alone with an associate did not trigger alarm bells.
Person A felt ‘cast aside’ by Baker McKenzie to protect firm’s reputation
Tribunal hears testimony from female associate who was kissed by managing partner in a hotel room.
‘Not my finest hour’: Solicitor fined after taking 14 years over estate
Tribunal finds Bedford-based veteran practitioner 'lost control of his administrative workload'.
Solicitor ‘out of his depth’ misled clients to buy time on difficult case
Former director with Newcastle firm admits misconduct and agrees to be struck off.
PI solicitor helped client who wanted to hide damages from husband
Geoffrey Hart said his judgement was impaired at the time of the misconduct but agrees to be struck off.
Hearing adjourned for ex-City partner accused over 'untrue' billable hours claim
Five-day hearing involving ex-Taylor Wessing partner Tracey Ann Sheehan was due to begin yesterday.
SDT: Decisions and interventions
Decisions filed recently with the Law Society (which may be subject to appeal).
Solicitor hiked hourly rate tenfold as property deal stalled
Tribunal finds conveyancer acted unreasonably in not ensuring he completed his undertaking after other party's mistake.
SDT decisions
Decisions filed recently with the Law Society (which may be subject to appeal).
Barrister suspended following sanction from SDT
Dual qualified practitioner was found to have breached solicitors accounts rules.
Flight delay solicitors sold ATE insurance through broker they owned
Tribunal fines directors of FairPlane a total of £55,000 after finding they allowed a conflict of interest.
Three from same firm sanctioned over 'dubious investment' advice
Fee earner struck off and two others fined over breaches to SRA accounts rules.
Tribunal workload slashed as SRA fails to take up sitting days
Hearing caseload expected to fall despite rise in sexual misconduct prosecutions.
Decisions
Decisions filed recently with the Law Society (which may be subject to appeal).
Serious misconduct is not always a banning offence, High Court rules
SRA fails to persuade judges to increase suspension penalty imposed on solicitor lacking in integrity.
Decisions and SRA interventions
Decisions filed recently with the Law Society (which may be subject to appeal).
Directors culpable for advice on bust property investment scheme
Solicitors said they were victims themselves of scheme that collapsed before completion.
Freshfields threatens to fine partners for 'inappropriate behaviour'
The magic circle firm is establishing a conduct committee to ensure ‘inappropriate behaviour is called out and acted upon’.
Decisions and SRA interventions
Decisions filed recently with the Law Society (which may be subject to appeal).
Solicitor struck off in High Court after SRA wins leniency appeal
Kwame Siaw had been fined £10,000 by the tribunal and not found to be dishonest.
Solicitor who missed tribunal after surgery denied rehearing
Parvez Akther, who was struck off in January, claimed he was ‘woolly headed’ after operation.
