Kathryn Poole
Allegation / charges
Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, Dishonesty, SRA Principles 2019
Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision
Kathryn Poole, a consultant solicitor at Vingoe Family Law, acted for Client A in matrimonial proceedings. She repeatedly told Client A, the court, the opposing party's representatives and her firm that pension information was awaited from the pension provider, when she had never requested it. As a result Client A missed deadlines, had a Penal Notice issued against her and was ordered to pay £250 costs. The Tribunal found Allegation 1.1 proved including dishonesty (applying Ivey), and Allegation 1.3 proved (failing to promptly inform her firm of the Penal Notice and costs order). Allegation 1.2 was not proved. The Respondent did not engage with proceedings or attend; the hearing proceeded in her absence. With a finding of dishonesty and no exceptional circumstances, the Tribunal struck her off the Roll and ordered costs of £33,845.
Duties found breached:
- Act in the client's best interests
- Good faith and courtesy to colleagues
- Honesty
- Integrity
- Uphold public trust in the profession
Aggravating factors:
- Finding of dishonesty
- Conduct was planned rather than spontaneous
- High culpability - motivated by concealing her own failure
- High level of foreseeable harm to client, firm and court
Mitigating factors:
- Previously unblemished career / no prior disciplinary findings
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