The Respondent acted for two claimants, Client A and Client B, in a clinical negligence claim against South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (the Defendant NHS Trust). The allegations concerned whether the Respondent misled the court and opposing solicitors regarding service of proceedings in that matter. Specifically, the SRA’s allegations concerned misleading information in a witness statement dated 3 January 2020, a letter purportedly dated 20 June 2019, a further witness statement dated 20 January 2020, and oral evidence given by the Respondent at a court hearing on 18 June 2020. The court found against the Respondent.

The Respondent denied all the allegations and the matter was set down for a three-day hearing commencing on 7 September 2026. That morning, at 09.17, the Respondent sent an email to the Tribunal stating that he would not be attending, following the SRA intervention into his practice which ordered its closure on 30 July 2026. He also stated that being a solicitor was not a career he would want to continue. The hearing proceeded in his absence.

The Tribunal determined that all four allegations, including dishonesty, were proved on the balance of probabilities and that the Respondent was in breach of Principles 1, 2, 4 and 5 of the Principles and paragraph 1.4 of the Code.