Diana Joan Marten

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

Diana Joan Marten, a commercial property solicitor at MFG Solicitors LLP, missed the Companies House 21-day deadline to register a Legal Charge to Paragon Bank. To conceal the missed deadline, she falsified the date on the Legal Charge, changing it from 3 December 2018 to 23 December 2018. She self-reported and admitted the allegation including dishonesty. The Tribunal, dealing with the matter on the papers via an agreed outcome, found her admissions properly made and, in light of the admitted dishonesty and absence of exceptional circumstances, ordered she be struck off the Roll and pay costs of £2,500.

Duties found breached:

• Integrity
• Uphold public trust in the profession
• Act in the client's best interests
• Non-discriminatory acceptance and cab-rank

Aggravating factors:

• Dishonest conduct
• Altered the date on a Legal Charge to conceal her failure to meet the registration deadline
• Conduct benefited herself to the detriment of clients

Mitigating factors:

• Self-report to the SRA
• Cooperation with the SRA investigation and SDT proceedings
• Genuine insight, remorse and open admissions
• Exemplary and unblemished disciplinary history of 32 years