Steven John Docherty

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

The Respondent, a solicitor acting for Company A in a litigation, sent a settlement offer to the Secondary Complainer which included a condition (condition 4) requiring the withdrawal of complaints made to the SLCC against the Respondent's firm and his assistant. This created a potential conflict of interest, as the firm/lawyers principally stood to benefit. The Respondent overlooked this when revising and sending the letter under time pressure ahead of an imminent hearing, and genuinely believed he was following his client's 'bulletproof' settlement instructions. The condition had no actual impact on the client's or the Secondary Complainer's interests, and was later recognised and removed from a June 2022 offer. Applying the Sharp test, the Tribunal found the conduct fell below the standard expected and breached Rule B1.7.2, but did not reach the threshold of serious and reprehensible conduct amounting to professional misconduct. The Respondent was found not guilty and the matter remitted to the Law Society. Expenses were awarded to the Respondent, restricted by 50%.

Duties found breached:

• No conflict between current clients