9793-2007 - Sohrab Taheri

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

Taheri, admitted 2002, was found guilty of conduct unbefitting a solicitor for failing to act in clients' best interests and failing to respond to Law Society correspondence. He took a client file and £500 home while on extended leave, later set up his own practice, defaulted on indemnity insurance, and abandoned the practice leaving clients uncontactable, leading to intervention. The Tribunal found his conduct inappropriate but not dishonest, and suspended him indefinitely to protect the public, plus costs of £3,266.79.

Duties found breached:

• No improper communication with the court
• Act in the client's best interests

Aggravating factors:

• Abandoned his practice and was unavailable to clients
• Failed to meet professional indemnity insurance payments
• Repeatedly failed to respond to Law Society correspondence

Mitigating factors:

• Young and inexperienced when setting up practice
• Left UK to attend family matters in Iran for an extended period
• Separated from his wife and fallen on hard times
• The £500 paid on account remained with the file; conduct not dishonest