Shafiq-ul Hassan
Allegation / charges
Breaches, Code of Conduct 2011, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, SRA Principles 2011, SRA Principles 2019
Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision
The Respondent, Shafiq-Ul Hassan, a solicitor and Director/Owner of City Law Solicitors Cardiff Ltd, faced allegations under both a Rule 12 and Rule 14 Statement. On 16 May 2019, during a recorded meeting with Client A and others, he made untrue statements about the ownership/transfer of Property 1 (27 Judkins Court) and suggested an adjournment could be obtained by lying to the court (e.g. by obtaining a false medical certificate). The Tribunal found these Rule 12 allegations (1.1 and 1.2) proved and found his conduct DISHONEST applying the Ivey test. Under the Rule 14 Statement, he sent a purported Chartered Surveyor's report from a non-existent company (Gysin Warr Limited) prepared by Mr Sen, and failed to fulfil an undertaking given to Watkins & Gunn Limited to pay for the neighbours' surveyor's report (£600). The Tribunal found the Rule 14 conduct (allegation 1.4) was NOT dishonest. The Tribunal found breaches of multiple Principles including lack of integrity and failure to maintain public trust. He was suspended for two years and ordered to pay costs of £37,568.09.
Duties found breached:
- Good faith and courtesy to colleagues
- Non-discriminatory acceptance and cab-rank
- Proper basis for allegations
⚠ figures not found verbatim in the source were dropped: ["unverified_suspension_months=24"]
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