Solicitor struck off for taking money from vulnerable clients while acting as their deputy

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 […]

Personal injury solicitor suspended

A personal injury solicitor has admitted paying unlawful referral fees for claims and running cases which clients had not authorised. Andrew Clinch dealt with numerous personal injury claims where purported victims of road traffic accidents had either not signed the relevant forms or expressly said they did not wish to pursue compensation. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal […]

Solicitor “outrageously plundered” assets of elderly client

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has struck off a solicitor who stole more than £300,000 of his elderly and disabled client’s money using a secret bank account. Stephen John Acres was found to have committed the “outrageous plundering” of his client’s assets in a particularly “deplorable” case of dishonest conduct. The tribunal heard that, as well […]

Solicitor struck off for legal aid fraud

A former managing partner of a Bradford solicitors’ firm, who was sent to prison for creating a fictitious business to fraudulently claim thousands of pounds from the Legal Aid Agency, has been struck off. Between September 2010 and October 2014, he conspired to create a sham company – known as Legal Support Services (LSS) – […]

Solicitor who helped himself to money in client account “tidying-up” exercise is struck off

A solicitor who helped himself to client money while carrying out what he claimed was a “tidying-up” exercise of historic client account balances has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. The tribunal decided that Vernon Burke’s actions showed a “lack of moral soundness, a lack of rectitude and no adherence to an ethical […]

Struck-off solicitor who fleeced clients of £56k is jailed

A struck-off solicitor has been jailed for two years and eight months after admitting to stealing more than £55,000 from clients. Margaret Barton last month admitted to four charges of theft between 2014 and 2016. She was sentenced to 32 months at Bolton Crown Court yesterday. The 58-year-old conveyancing specialist was banned from the profession […]