A sole practitioner solicitor who misappropriated over £170,000 from four vulnerable clients in her role as court-appointed deputy has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.

The tribunal found that in the case of two clients who died, Ms Lowe knew from the date of their death that she was no longer a deputy and had no authority to make loans or take costs.

In the case of a third client, the SDT said Ms Lowe had taken payment on 16 occasions over a two-year period of costs amounting to over £26,500 when a deputyship order had ended and she “knew she was not the deputy”. Further, she did not raise any bills of costs or provide written notifications.

(Source – Legal Futures website)