Krystel Marzan

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

Krystel Marzan, a solicitor admitted in 2014, faced two allegations. Allegation 1.1 concerned submitting misleading LPAs to the OPG in July 2016, purporting to have witnessed the donor's signatures on 4 August 2015 when the additional attorneys were only decided upon in January 2016, meaning the documents could not have been signed and witnessed as claimed. The Tribunal found this proved including dishonesty, relying on email correspondence showing planning and strategy. Allegation 1.2 concerned pre-signing conveyancing documents (mortgage deeds, personal guarantees, occupiers' consent forms) as a witness without actually witnessing signatures in person, between October 2019 and June 2020. This was proved as a breach of integrity and public trust principles, but the Tribunal did NOT find dishonesty on this allegation, accepting she had a genuine (if mistaken) belief about remote witnessing. Given the dishonesty finding on Allegation 1.1 and no exceptional circumstances, the Respondent was struck off the Roll and ordered to pay costs of £19,453.20.

Duties found breached:

• Proper basis for allegations
• Integrity

Aggravating factors:

• Dishonesty found on Allegation 1.1, deliberate and calculated over many weeks
• Misconduct arose from conscious, thought-out decisions rather than being spontaneous
• Respondent ought reasonably to have known conduct breached obligations to protect public and profession's reputation
• Very high and foreseeable level of harm affecting vulnerable clients (health, finance, home)
• Lack of insight - Respondent stated she would continue with deficient practices

Mitigating factors:

• Previously unblemished disciplinary record of some 9 years post-qualification
• No direct financial benefit to the Respondent
• Did not take advantage of vulnerable clients
• Did not seek to blame others
• Other than the dishonesty found, no overt deception