Belinda Owusuah Sarkodie
Allegation / charges
Breaches, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, Dishonesty, Lack of Integrity, SRA Principles 2019
Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision
A solicitor admitted in 2020 worked simultaneously for three firms (PLS and W&L as a locum, and Muve in a substantive full-time role) during an overlapping period from 29 June to 16 July 2021. The Tribunal found she submitted timesheets to PLS and W&L claiming payment for the same hours on the same dates, while employed full time by Muve, and that this was dishonest by the standards of ordinary decent people (Ivey test). It rejected her explanation that the timesheets reflected task-based work. The Tribunal also found she misled Muve by allowing it to believe she was working full time and solely for it, contrary to her contract's exclusivity clause, rejecting her claim that the breach was inadvertent. All allegations, including dishonesty, were proved. With no exceptional circumstances, she was struck off and ordered to pay costs of £8,891.50.
Duties found breached:
Aggravating factors:
- Finding of dishonesty
- Conduct was deliberate and repeated
- Motivated by financial gain
- Took unfair advantage of employers
- Blamed others (recruitment consultants and firms) for her conduct
- Demonstrated limited insight
Mitigating factors:
- Previously unblemished career / no prior disciplinary findings
- Medical evidence regarding her health at the material time
Codes & rules applied
Duties engaged
- Act only on proper, lawful instructions
- Advise on alternatives, settlement and outcome
- Avoid wasting the court's time
- Cease acting on client perjury or disobedience
- Client-care and engagement terms
- Client confidentiality
- Competence
- Complaints procedure and handling
- Comply with and respect court orders
- Comply with rules of foreign jurisdictions
- Continuity and handover of representation
- Cooperate openly with regulators
- Costs and fee transparency to client
- Diligence and timeliness
- Disclose adverse law to the court
- Disclose material information to client
- Disclose referrals, commissions and benefits
- Fair dealing with unrepresented parties
- Fair, reasonable and lawful fees
- Full disclosure on ex parte applications
- Good faith and courtesy to colleagues
- Handle inadvertently received material
- Hold a current practising certificate
- Honour professional undertakings
- Keep client informed and respond promptly
- Maintain competence and CPD
- Manage conflict arising mid-matter
- No abuse of process or coercive powers
- No acting against a former client
- No baseless or threatened misconduct report
- No conflict between current clients
- No direct dealing with represented party
- No improper benefit, loan or bequest
- No improper communication with the court
- No improper fee-sharing or partnership
- No improper questioning of witnesses
- No improper solicitation or touting
- Non-discriminatory acceptance and cab-rank
- No obstruction or victimisation of reporters
- No own-interest conflict
- No payments to witnesses on evidence
- No personal opinion or familiarity with court
- No prejudicial publicity for pending cases
- No standing bail or surety for client
- No taking unfair advantage
- No tampering with or coaching witnesses
- Not mislead the court
- Not mislead third parties or opponents
- Not misrepresent regulated status
- Pay instructed practitioners and agents
- Professional indemnity insurance
- Proper basis for allegations
- Proper termination and return of instructions
- Prosecutorial duty of disclosure
- Prosecutorial fairness and impartiality
- Protect capacity and vulnerable clients
- Protect legal professional privilege
- Report serious misconduct of others
- Safeguard documents and limit liens
- Self-report to the regulator
- Truthful, non-misleading advertising