Riffat Hussain
Allegation / charges
Breaches, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, Recklessness, SRA Principles 2019
Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision
The SRA alleged that Ms Riffat Hussain, an immigration solicitor at the University of Liverpool Law Clinic, (1.1) sought to mislead her employer on 18 September 2023 by deleting a self-task ("ensure decision letter sent") and a blank template letter from the case management system to conceal when she received a June 2023 Home Office decision, and (1.2) attempted to mislead her colleague Ms Carter on 19 September 2023 by stating she did not have the decision letter. The Tribunal found that the Respondent did delete the two items, but was not satisfied she did so with intent to mislead, noting she did not delete the original notification or the decision itself, took immediate steps to contact the client, and recorded the position in a file note. On Allegation 1.2, the Tribunal was not satisfied to the requisite clear and cogent standard that the Respondent used the words attributed to her or intended to mislead, given limitations in Ms Carter's recollection (her note was made the following day after discussions with colleagues and reviewing the CMS). Both allegations were dismissed. The Respondent had an unblemished regulatory record. No express finding of dishonesty was made.
Mitigating factors:
- Unblemished regulatory record
- Full cooperation with the regulator during investigation
- Positive character references
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