Respondent AR
Allegation / charges
Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, Solicitors Accounts Rules 2019
Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision
The Respondent, a partner solicitor, admitted making repeated unwanted, sexualised and sexually motivated comments to Person A (telling her words to the effect of 'I want to dominate you sexually' multiple times) at a leaving drinks event on 30 June 2022. He admitted breaching Principles 2 and 5 and Rule 1.2, including a lack of integrity (no finding of dishonesty was made). The Tribunal approved an agreed outcome of 24 months' suspension plus an undertaking to engage with treatment, and ordered costs of £32,655.07. The Tribunal also granted, by majority, an application to anonymise the judgment on the basis of joint expert medical evidence showing risk to the Respondent's life (Articles 2 and 8 ECHR), with one lay member dissenting in favour of open justice.
Duties found breached:
Aggravating factors:
- Misconduct was deliberate
- Conduct constituted sexual misconduct (sexually motivated and overtly sexual, though no sexualised touching alleged)
- Respondent knew or ought reasonably to have known the conduct breached obligations to protect the public and the reputation of the profession
Mitigating factors:
- Voluntarily self-reported to the regulator
- Single episode/very brief duration in a previously unblemished career
- Remorse and apology
Codes & rules applied
Duties engaged
- Account for interest on client money
- Accounting records, reconciliation and reports
- 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
- No improper use of client money
- Non-discriminatory acceptance and cab-rank
- No obstruction or victimisation of reporters
- No own-interest conflict
- No payments to witnesses on evidence
- No personal handling of client money
- 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
- Prompt accounting and return of money
- 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
- Segregate client money
- Self-report to the regulator
- Truthful, non-misleading advertising