Rajinder Heer
Allegation / charges
Code of Conduct 2011, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, Dishonesty, Solicitors Accounts Rules 2011, Solicitors Accounts Rules 2019, SRA Principles 2019
Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision
Rajinder Heer, owner/director and COLP/COFA of Coventgate Law Limited, continued to undertake legal practice activities between October 2021 and February 2022 without qualifying professional indemnity insurance after the cessation period ended, instead of closing the firm as required. He gave misleading information to the SRA, intervention agents, a third-party firm (HCR) and clients about the number of live matters and the firm's insurance position, and failed to maintain proper books of account, client reconciliations and accountants' reports throughout 2018-2022. He did not engage with proceedings or attend the hearing. The Tribunal found all three allegations proved in full and expressly found that he had acted deliberately and dishonestly in concealing the position (applying Ivey), as well as lacking integrity. He was struck off the Roll and ordered to pay costs of £10,966.36.
Duties found breached:
- Good faith and courtesy to colleagues
- No conflict between current clients
- Non-discriminatory acceptance and cab-rank
- Professional indemnity insurance
Aggravating factors:
- Conduct was deliberate and dishonest
- Repeatedly misled the SRA, intervention agents, third parties and clients
- Put clients at risk of loss without insurance protection
- Failure to engage with the disciplinary proceedings
- Sole director responsible for running the firm; held COLP and COFA roles
Mitigating factors:
- Cited difficult personal circumstances at the relevant time
- Expressed confusion over interpreting the rules and acknowledged failing clients/public trust
Codes & rules applied
Duties engaged
- Account for interest on client money
- Accounting records, reconciliation and reports
- 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
- No improper use of client money
- Non-discriminatory acceptance and cab-rank
- No obstruction or victimisation of reporters
- No own-interest conflict
- No payments to witnesses on evidence
- No personal handling of client money
- 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
- Prompt accounting and return of money
- 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
- Segregate client money
- Self-report to the regulator
- Truthful, non-misleading advertising