Domenico Pisano
Allegation / charges
Breaches, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, Failures, Lack of Integrity, SRA Principles 2019
Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision
Domenico (Dominic) Pisano, a senior partner at Dominic Levent Solicitors Limited, faced SRA allegations covering conduct between September 2021 and April 2022, including harassing, intimidating and demeaning behaviour towards colleagues (shouting, physical conduct, homophobic slurs such as "gaylord" and "battyman", showing colleagues an explicit image, and inappropriate sexual/religious comments), making inappropriate and unsubstantiated allegations about colleagues, and emailing the opposing side in a client's matter falsely alleging the client lacked capacity. The Respondent did not participate; the Tribunal proceeded in his absence. It found all allegations proven except 1.2.1, and found breaches of Principles 2, 5, 6 and 7 and failures to achieve Outcomes 1.2 and 1.4. He was struck off the Roll and ordered to pay costs of £41,875.44. No express finding of dishonesty was recorded.
Duties found breached:
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