My History, Background
& Experience

I successfully ran a solicitors’ property law practice for 25 years, specialising in conveyancing and secured lending. I became an experienced mediator and trouble shooter. I prevented the breakup of many marriages by effecting reconciliations and, when it was impossible to reconcile, I helped people have an amicable divorce. I advised many entrepreneurs and assisted them in their climbs to millionaire status and I had a billionaire for a client. I also helped many people who could not afford legal representation free of charge.

In 2010 there was a problem with my accounts and I reported the problem to the SRA. They sent their employee, Sarah Taylor, a “forensic investigation officer” who was given access to everything by me and who interviewed me. At the end of the interview she personally thanked me “for being so honest”.

However, she went back to her office and wrote a damning report which painted me as dishonest. Based on her report the SRA closed my business in 2011 on the grounds of a “suspicion of dishonesty”. Obviously nothing had been proven at that date and so there was no way I could challenge the decision. The effect was to also freeze my own accounts and so I couldn’t pay my employees or other suppliers. Payments to creditors stopped and as a result in the end I had to declare myself bankrupt. In (2012) I had a cardiac arrest and I believe the SRA actions were the cause of that. 

Unknown to me at the time, Sarah Taylor had no formal qualifications at all. Her previous experience was dealing with abuse cases in the navy. At my hearing before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, Sarah Taylor made outrageous lies in response to questions raised by the Tribunal and not surprisingly the SDT decided to strike me off, describing it as a tragic case.

Ms Taylor subsequently admitted to a High Court Judge that she had lied on oath to the several questions that had been put to her by the SDT and she told the judge she couldn’t explain why she had lied. To me it is blindingly obvious why she lied. She is a thoroughly dishonest person and should never have been working in the position that she works in. Yes, you read that correctly, she still works there! The current Head of the SRA, Paul Philip is also personally fully aware of the situation but has refused to take any disciplinary action against Sarah Taylor. I therefore know for a fact that the SRA employs dishonest people to discredit others. This is a disgrace.

Instead of taking up and assisting me with my suggestion to completely rectify the issues, all at my expense, the SRA spent many tens of thousands of pounds of funds collected from solicitors to destroy me, my business, my relationships, my reputation and the faith hundreds of my clients had in me and the legal profession generally, causing my clients’ financial loss and inconvenience. The solicitors’ profession is entitled to better regulators than this. 

My view is that the SRA is a corrupt and self-serving organisation, it needs to be disbanded and all regulatory powers should be restored to the Law Society who understand and are more than capable of managing the Solicitors profession for the benefit of all.

I consider the SRA’s solicitors and Barrister, a QC, acted unethically but that’s a story for another time.  

Although I cannot practice as a solicitor, I am happy to help others where I can do so within the limits forced upon me by the actions of the dishonest Ms Taylor and the SRA.