Slater and Gordon Fined £80,000 for Disclosing 7,087 Client Files During Quindell Deal
Slater and Gordon was fined £80,000 (split between two entities) for disclosing unredacted confidential information from 7,087 client matter files during due diligence for its catastrophic £637 million acquisition of Quindell’s legal services division. It was the SRA’s record penalty against an ABS at the time. Sources Law Gazette: Slater and Gordon fined £80k over Quindell file sharing Legal Futures: Slater & Gordon sanctioned for both sides of Quindell due diligence
Leigh Day Cleared of All Charges After Longest SDT Hearing in History — SRA Pays £1m in Costs
Leigh Day and three solicitors faced 19 charges over Iraqi civilian claims linked to the £31m Al-Sweady Public Inquiry. After a seven-week hearing — the longest and most expensive SDT case ever — the firm was cleared of all charges. The SRA’s High Court appeal was dismissed. The SRA spent £3.1 million and was ordered to pay Leigh Day approximately £995,000 in costs. The firm spent roughly £7 million on its defence. Sources Legal Cheek: Iraq torture case: Leigh Day cleared of ALL misconduct Law Gazette: Leigh Day in the clear as High Court throws out SRA appeal Legal Futures: SRA pays Leigh Day £1m in costs
SSB Law Collapses with £200m+ in Debts — Thousands of Clients Pursued for Costs
SSB Law (Sheffield), a specialist in high-volume cavity wall insulation claims, entered administration with debts exceeding £200 million. Thousands of former clients were pursued for substantial adverse legal costs despite “no win, no fee” assurances. The SRA placed interim restrictions on four solicitors and issued disqualification orders against two non-solicitor directors — the most serious non-solicitor sanction available. Sources SRA: Cavity wall insulation claims handled by SSB Group Law Gazette: SRA ready to move on SSB prosecutions
SDT Dismisses All Charges Against Barings Law — SRA Ordered to Pay Costs
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal dismissed all allegations against Craig Cooper (managing director) and Erich Kurtz (former partner) of Barings Law over their handling of volume payday lender mis-selling claims. The SRA alleged the firm had misled clients and sent claims on behalf of “fictional clients.” The SDT ordered the SRA to pay £30,000 in costs, criticising the regulator for relying on “prejudicial hearsay evidence” from lenders who had been sued by the solicitors. Sources Law Gazette: Director blasts 'egregious waste of money' after failed SRA case Legal Futures: Tribunal clears solicitors over volume litigation misconduct
LSB Damns SRA Over SSB Law Collapse — Regulator Ignored Five Years of Red Flags
An independent review by Carson McDowell (commissioned by the Legal Services Board) found the SRA failed to act on over 100 reports between 2019 and 2024 about SSB Law’s conduct. The regulator miscategorised complaints as “service” issues and permitted transfer of thousands of client files to JMR Solicitors despite internal warnings — JMR also subsequently collapsed. The LSB initiated unprecedented enforcement action against the SRA itself, which formally apologised and accepted all recommendations. Sources SRA apologises and fully accepts recommendations of SSB review Law Gazette: SRA ignored five years of red flags Law Society: SSB collapse independent review
FCA and SRA Issue Joint Warning Over Motor Finance Commission Claims
The FCA and SRA issued a joint warning to firms and law firms representing motor finance commission claims. Since January 2024, the FCA had removed or amended over 740 misleading advertisements and required nine law firms to provide information about their exit fees. The regulators flagged concerns about misleading marketing, lack of fee transparency, and firms pressuring consumers into binding agreements. Sources FCA and SRA warning on motor finance commission claims Regulators join forces to tackle poor claims management practices
SRA Issues Record £4 Million Fine Against Kingly Solicitors Owner
The SRA imposed its largest-ever fine of £3,984,440 on Nurul Miah, non-solicitor owner of Kingly Solicitors (16 branches, 220,000 files). Miah made 310 improper transfers from client accounts totalling approximately £10 million, used for loan repayments and luxury purchases including a Ferrari and Aston Martin. He was permanently disqualified from any role in a regulated firm. Sources RollOnFriday: SRA issues record fine of £4m on ex-law firm owner Solicitor News: SRA Imposes Record £4 Million Fine on Kingly Solicitors Owner
Liverpool Housing Disrepair Firms Shut Down by SRA in Rapid Succession
A pattern of connected collapses hit Liverpool’s housing disrepair claims sector. McDermott Smith Solicitors collapsed in July 2024, followed by SRA interventions closing BPS Solicitors and Langton Law in September 2024. The latter two firms were connected through their directors, raising questions about regulatory vetting of mass claims firm ownership structures. Sources Legal Futures: SRA closes down four law firms in two days
Axiom Ince: £64m Missing from Client Accounts in Largest-Ever SRA Intervention
The SRA’s largest-ever intervention followed the discovery that approximately £64 million was missing from Axiom Ince client accounts. Sole owner Pragnesh Modhwadia allegedly used client funds for property development and firm acquisitions using falsified bank statements. Three directors were suspended, the Serious Fraud Office launched a criminal investigation (conducting searches across nine sites, arresting seven individuals), and over 1,400 staff lost their jobs. Compensation fund claims exceeded £33 million. Sources SRA: Axiom Ince intervention information Law Fuel: The Downfall of Axiom Ince and the £66m Fraud Scandal Law Society: Independent review finds SRA handling of Axiom Ince inadequate
Slater and Gordon Fined £82,000 for Systemic Failures Under Former Australian Owners
Slater and Gordon received a second SRA fine of £81,588 for multiple historical breaches, including 18 inadequately supervised cases, 20 cases discontinued without client instructions, and 21 cases struck out for non-compliance. Additionally, 660 matters lacked ATE insurance despite clients being told cover was in place. Individual solicitors were also sanctioned — Gareth Evans was struck off for dishonestly settling a claim, and Saqiba Jamali was struck off for concealing struck-out claims. Sources Law Gazette: Slater and Gordon fined £82,000 for multiple historical breaches
