Anjan Dhiru Patel

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

Anjan Patel, a solicitor and consultant at Neumans LLP and later Cubism Law, faced seven allegations. The Tribunal found all allegations proved. He settled a costs claim in which Client A had a direct financial interest without authority and contrary to express instructions (1.1), failed to notify Client A for around nine weeks that the claim had settled (1.2), made misleading and untrue statements to Client A's solicitors that the Tribunal found dishonest under the Ivey test (1.3), acted in an own-client and firm conflict of interest (1.4), failed to provide Client C reasonable costs information (2.1), held himself out as authorised to negotiate costs after the SRA intervention despite being told he was not (2.2), sent improper threatening and groundless correspondence to a trustee in bankruptcy's solicitors (3), and made improper personal threats against an SRA officer (4). An express finding of dishonesty was made on allegation 1.3. Given the dishonesty and absence of exceptional circumstances, the Tribunal struck him off the Roll and ordered costs of £30,000.

Duties found breached:

• Integrity
• Uphold public trust in the profession
• Act in the client's best interests
• Non-discriminatory acceptance and cab-rank
• No conflict between current clients
• Cooperate openly with regulators

Aggravating factors:

• Proven dishonesty
• Deliberate, calculated and repeated conduct over a lengthy period
• Concealment of wrongdoing (encouraging Client B not to inform Client A, sending misleading correspondence despite Counsel's advice)
• Deliberately intimidatory tone with clients and threats to others
• Lack of any insight, foresight or hindsight
• Very experienced solicitor in direct control of circumstances

Mitigating factors:

• Previously unblemished career
• Took on difficult matters other solicitors declined
• Worked hard for his clients
• Some admissions (Principle 7 breach in allegation 4)
• Expressed remorse for the heat-of-the-moment conduct in allegation 4