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More serious dishonesty. In this case, it is not the conduct of a sad, desperate solicitor acting alone, but an organised conspiracy to defraud the Legal Aid Fund.

I suspect this conduct is very common in the profession and there are very many solicitors doing similar, albeit on a smaller scale in most cases.

I recall being told that back in the late 1970s, a certain highly prominent solicitor who became a pillar of his community had, as a new sole practitioner, been systematically defrauding Legal Aid on the Claim 10s. Apparently, he was caught and given a wrap over the knuckles.

It's nothing new - it's just that it's now harder to cover it up and get away with it.