Tag Results
“Panicked” solicitor suspended for lending mobile to police suspect – and then denying it
Friday, 18 May 2018A young solicitor who “panicked” has been suspended for six months for lending his mobile to a criminal suspect who used it to silence a witness, and then denying it when questioned by police. Mohammed Abid’s barrister said he had made a “grave unforgivable error… he was a rabbit in headlights”.
Tags: Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal
Posted in Latest news, Solicitors
SDT fines “sloppy” partner £10,000 for failing to confirm conveyancing instructions or check funds
Friday, 4 May 2018A partner has been fined £10,000 plus £28,000 costs for being “sloppy, lazy and careless” for acting in conveyances on the instructions of a third party without confirming them with the clients or conducting due diligence on the clients or transaction funds.
Tags: Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal
Posted in Latest news, Solicitors
Non-lawyers disciplined for disclosure failures during Cobbetts collapse
Thursday, 29 March 2018Tribunal judgments in the cases of two non-lawyers involved in the finances of defunct law firm Cobbetts LLP have been published, marking the latest chapter in the disciplinary aftermath of the failure. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal approved agreed outcomes relating to allegations against the firm’s former financial director and partnership tax accountant.
Tags: Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal
Posted in Latest news, Solicitors, Uncategorized
“Stressed” solicitor avoids strike-off despite dishonesty
Tuesday, 6 February 2018The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has again decided against striking off a solicitor for proven dishonesty after it accepted that he was suffering from work-induced stress. The solicitor said one of his supervisors had described himself as being “like an abusive husband, always asking for forgiveness and saying it would be different”.
Tags: Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal
Posted in Latest news, Regulation, Solicitors
Solicitor struck off for carrying out reserved activities from unregulated firm
Monday, 5 February 2018A solicitor has been struck off for conducting reserved activities when he was not entitled to do so and dishonestly misleading the regulator when challenged on it. After closing down his regulated firm, he set up an unregulated one but was found to have conducted both conveyancing and litigation.
Tags: Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal
Posted in Latest news, Regulation, Solicitors
SDT strikes off young solicitor who faked documents to cover insurance error
Friday, 5 January 2018A three-year qualified solicitor has been struck off for dishonestly fabricating documents to cover up the fact she failed to negotiate an increase to after-the-event insurance cover. This meant her client or firm faced having to pay the other side’s costs.
Tags: Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal
Posted in Latest news, Solicitors
Solicitor who “outrageously plundered” assets of elderly client struck off
Tuesday, 12 December 2017A solicitor who stole more than £300,000 of his elderly and disabled client’s money using a secret bank account has been struck off. He was found have committed the “outrageous plundering” of his client’s assets in a particularly “deplorable” case of dishonest conduct.
Tags: Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal
Posted in Latest news, Regulation, Solicitors
Solicitor who made client agree not to complain to the authorities suspended
Thursday, 9 November 2017A solicitor who was “over his head” in running his own firm, and used a settlement with a vulnerable client to prevent them complaining to the Solicitors Regulation Authority or Legal Ombudsman, has been suspended from practice. He was also found guilty of a number of other breaches.
Tags: Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal
Posted in Latest news, Regulation, Solicitors
Solicitor who overcharged by 574% struck off
Thursday, 7 September 2017A solicitor has been struck off after being found by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal to have dishonestly charged an estate “manifestly excessive” fees for probate work – almost nine times the agreed amount. The solicitor had told the executor he would charge 3% of the estate but ended up charging 26%.
Tags: Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal
Posted in Latest news, Regulation, Solicitors
Solicitor who tried to avoid paying stamp duty on firm office purchase struck off
Monday, 14 August 2017A solicitor has been struck off after he bought his home and his firm’s office for £1.3m but dishonestly declared he had paid only £265,000 altogether, in order to avoid paying over £50,000 in stamp duty land tax. He also attempted to dissuade the HMRC from making fines it issued to him public so as not to alert the SRA.
Tags: Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal
Posted in Latest news, Solicitors