Miles Roderick Cox & Another

Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision

The First Respondent, Miles Roderick Cox, a sole practitioner/principal of Cox Roderick LLP, was found to have committed numerous serious breaches of the Solicitors Accounts Rules and Code, including failing to keep proper accounts, creating client account shortages exceeding £883,000, misusing client money (using funds of clients M, B, NBS/P and S/C for the benefit of unconnected client AC LLP), drawing down mortgage advances on transactions he knew were not proceeding, and breaching multiple undertakings. The Tribunal made an express finding of dishonesty under the Twinsectra test and struck him off the Roll, ordering him to pay £50,000 costs plus joint and several liability for a further £4,000 (total costs fixed at £54,000). The Second Respondent (junior salaried partner) was found in breach of some accounts rules and one undertaking but the integrity allegation against her was withdrawn and no dishonesty was found; she was fined £1,000 and made jointly liable for £4,000 costs.

Duties found breached:

• Accounting records, reconciliation and reports
• Diligence and timeliness
• Firm governance, systems and compliance
• Good faith and courtesy to colleagues
• No improper use of client money
• Professional indemnity insurance

Aggravating factors:

• Express finding of dishonesty across multiple matters
• Very large client account shortage (in excess of £883,000 at one point)
• Repeated pattern of misuse of client funds and breaches of undertakings
• Drawing down mortgage advances on transactions known not to be proceeding
• Giving undertaking to hold £350,000 not actually held in client account
• Previous disciplinary finding (2011) for breach of undertaking - reprimanded
• Lack of real insight into the seriousness of breaches

Mitigating factors:

• Admitted all allegations save dishonesty
• Claimed inexperience and being out of his depth running the practice
• Asserted he was the target of a professional conman connected with AC LLP
• Personal pressures affecting fitness to run practice
• Took responsibility, exonerating the Second Respondent
• Offered to pay all costs