Decision record
(unnamed respondent)
Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision
This was a Section 44E appeal by solicitor Sadaf Ijaz against an SRA Adjudication Panel decision upholding an Adjudicator's rebuke (and publication) for failing to comply with two court costs orders (2019 and 2022) by the required deadlines. The Tribunal refused her application to adduce fresh evidence (an appellant's notice showing she had ticked a box applying for a stay), finding she had failed to act with reasonable diligence under Ladd v Marshall and that there were no exceptional circumstances justifying flexibility. The Tribunal held that any error of fact regarding the stay application was not material to the finding of deliberate non-compliance. The appeal was dismissed, the rebuke affirmed, and costs of £10,791 ordered. Applications for privacy/anonymity and the SRA's strike-out application were also refused/dismissed. A later High Court appeal was dismissed. No dishonesty was found; the matter concerned professional misconduct through non-compliance with court orders.
Duties found breached:
Aggravating factors:
- Prolonged period of non-compliance (2019 costs order not paid in full until August 2022)
- Non-compliance found to be deliberate
- Continued non-compliance even after Ms Ijaz knew by September 2020 that her appeal had failed and after being contacted by the SRA in December 2021