Rashid Ahmad Khan
Allegation / charges
Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, SRA Principles 2019
Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision
The SRA alleged that Rashid Ahmad Khan, an immigration solicitor and sole manager/COLP/COFA of Rashid and Rashid Law Firm, gave advice encouraging a false narrative to support an asylum claim, based on covert Daily Mail recordings of two 'meet and greet' meetings in May 2023 with undercover reporters posing as an uncle and nephew. The Respondent denied the allegation, contending the meetings were free introductory consultations where he explored legitimate legal avenues (including Article 8 ECHR) and gave no advice, and challenged the accuracy of the Applicant's translation (Punjabi to Urdu to English). The Tribunal, applying the balance of probabilities, conducted a forensic review of the comparator transcripts and videos and was not persuaded the allegation was proven; it found the Respondent a credible witness, accepted the meetings were merely introductory, and found his statements/gestures were statements of fact rather than encouragement of a false narrative. The allegation was dismissed with no breach of the SRA Principles found. Neither party's costs were awarded; the Tribunal found the case had been properly brought and saw no 'good reason' to depart from the usual no-order position.
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