Jonathan Horner

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

Jonathan Leslie Horner, a partner at Sussex Law Limited, prepared wills for numerous elderly, vulnerable clients (many widowed, childless or of doubtful capacity) under which significant gifts on death were left to himself, his family, or the family of an employee (SC). The Tribunal found he failed to ensure clients obtained genuinely independent advice—either providing no advice, advice given retrospectively after execution, or advice from SC (his former secretary/paralegal) who was not independent. In the case of Client MA (diagnosed with dementia), he caused a will to be executed when her capacity was in doubt, and in the case of Client FF he asked SC to assess capacity after another solicitor had advised FF lacked capacity. The Tribunal found dishonesty proved in relation to clients EK, FF, CF, SS and MA. Over four years clients bequeathed him a total of £404,000. With no exceptional circumstances and very limited mitigation, the Tribunal ordered the Respondent to be struck off and to pay costs of £56,381.90 in full.

Duties found breached:

• Honesty
• Integrity
• Act only on proper, lawful instructions
• No conflict between current clients
• No improper benefit, loan or bequest

Aggravating factors:

• Dishonesty
• Conduct was deliberate, calculated and repeated, occurring on nine occasions over five years
• Motivation was financial personal gain
• Serious breach of a significant position of trust
• Preying on vulnerable, elderly, often widowed and childless clients, some of doubtful capacity
• Complete control over the circumstances giving rise to misconduct
• Befriending clients and paying visits out of office hours for no apparent professional reason
• Astonishing and disturbing lack of insight
• Experienced solicitor (10-11 years qualified, having prepared 3,500-4,000 wills)

Mitigating factors:

• Some degree of cooperation with the SRA
• No previous disciplinary findings before the Tribunal
• Accepted restrictions on his practising certificate
• Made some very limited admissions