Guy Andrew Adams

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

Guy Andrew Adams, an equity partner, Managing Partner and COFA at Pardoes Solicitors LLP, admitted causing or allowing the Firm to divert employee and Firm pension contributions (totalling £57,078.22 in arrears) to the office account for general running of the Firm rather than paying the pension provider between April 2019 and July 2020, failing to inform the SRA of the situation, and allowing LAA professional disbursements to remain in office account causing a £7,737.02 client account shortfall. He admitted dishonesty under the Ivey test. The Tribunal, on an agreed outcome, found high culpability and no exceptional circumstances, and struck him off the Roll, ordering costs of £6,000 inclusive of VAT.

Duties found breached:

• No improper use of client money
• No baseless or threatened misconduct report

Aggravating factors:

• Admitted dishonesty
• Misconduct was deliberate and planned
• Misconduct was repeated over a prolonged period
• Motivated by financial gain to prop up the Firm
• Breach of trust placed in him by the Firm and employees
• Full admission made at very late stage, days before hearing

Mitigating factors:

• Some genuine insight shown by admitting misconduct
• Always intended to make good the deficiency and did so; no one lost financially
• Kept in touch with Pensions Regulator and put repayment plan in place
• Took professional advice on which he relied
• Long service and significant financial pressures on the Firm including loss of departments and Covid-19
• Sometimes did not take his own drawings
• Retired from practice
• Expressed regret and apologised