Diane Kay Whiston

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

Diane Kay Whiston, a non-solicitor employed as a receptionist at the Lister Croft Partnership, copied a confidential list of assets from a client file and gave it to her partner, Mr J, who was the opponent of the firm's client in divorce proceedings. The Tribunal found the allegation substantiated, holding her breach of confidentiality serious and a breach of trust. The Tribunal made a Section 43 order controlling her future employment in the legal profession and ordered her to pay costs of £1,377.69. No express finding of dishonesty was made; the Applicant described her conduct as deceitful and a breach of trust.

Duties found breached:

• Honesty
• Client confidentiality