In 2015 the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal threw out a case accusing five solicitors of dishonesty, as too confused and incoherent for the tribunal or the solicitors to know for sure the case being made. The case had featured what was said to be the most detailed defence statement ever presented to the tribunal. This, said the High Court, did not help the tribunal. It “began a process in which there was myopic focus on the detail instead of a consideration of what the case was really about”. However, the High Court did not believe that the accused had really been unable to understand the charges.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (which brought the charges) and the High Court have now salvaged some of the charges against two of the solicitors, which were stated though poorly presented in the original case. The High Court has told the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal it must now try these charges.
Tribunal decision published in 2015; SRA v Manak [2016] EWHC 1914 (Admin) 28 July 2015
