An employee of a City law firm who abused her company credit card has been fined and stopped from working in the profession.

According to a Solicitors Regulation Authority decision notice, Sharyn Lawson misused the Reed Smith credit card by claiming £6,553.94 of personal expenses as work-related items.

Lawson, who also goes by the name Crawford, had been employed as a billing specialist by the international firm at its City of London office.

The SRA said her conduct was found to be dishonest and to have breached two of its principles.

She was made subject to section 43 order preventing her from working for any law firm in future without SRA permission. She was also rebuked and fined £2,000.

It is the latest penalty issued against a law firm employee by the SRA in relation to misuse of a credit card. In May a Leicester-based finance director was banned from working in the profession for buying personal items online with the company account.

A Reed Smith spokesperson said: 'We can confirm that Sharyn Lawson left the business last year. At the end of 2016, we conducted a review of the firm’s financial procedures and as a result tightened controls. We are unable to comment further on personnel matters.'