Andrew Mark Brett

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

Andrew Mark Brett, an assistant solicitor at Barnes & Partners, failed to progress Client A's professional negligence claim against LGS Solicitors between February 2016 and January 2019, missing all court deadlines and ultimately causing the claim to be struck out. He then repeatedly lied to Client A about the case's progress between February 2017 and December 2018, fabricating court hearings, listing appointments and directions, and creating letters purportedly to the defendant's solicitors that were never sent. The Tribunal found all allegations proved, including express dishonesty under the Ivey test. Brett did not attend and was unrepresented; the hearing proceeded in his absence. He was struck off the Roll and ordered to pay costs of £22,950.

Duties found breached:

• Act in the client's best interests
• Honesty
• Integrity
• No baseless or threatened misconduct report
• Non-discriminatory acceptance and cab-rank
• No taking unfair advantage
• Uphold public trust in the profession

Aggravating factors:

• Proven dishonesty
• Conduct was deliberate, calculated and repeated over a significant period
• Concealed failings by fabricating progress including fictitious court hearings and directions
• Caused significant and foreseeable harm to Client A, whose claim was struck out
• Experienced litigation solicitor solely responsible

Mitigating factors:

• Previously unblemished record / no previous disciplinary matters