Alvina Zia

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

Alvina Zia, a solicitor and sole director of Obelisk Law (wound up Dec 2018), faced eight allegations. She admitted providing dishonest, inaccurate and misleading information to the SRA in response to s.44B Production Notices (Allegation 1) and to the Insolvency Service regarding her involvement with French Fox Ltd, RKAL, RKCAT and Nataliia Fox (Allegation 5), with dishonesty found on both. She also admitted transferring 293 client files to ACN Law without consent, failing to cooperate with the SRA, improperly holding £23,702.37 of office money in client account, providing immigration advice while unauthorised (taking £2,000 from Client B), and failing to cooperate with and comply with a Legal Ombudsman decision ordering payment of £2,600. The Tribunal did not find dishonesty proved on Allegation 2, nor Allegations 3.2 and 5.2. Her adjournment application was refused. Given the dishonesty findings and absence of exceptional circumstances, the Tribunal struck her off the Roll and ordered £48,000 costs (reduced from £56,712.61).

Duties found breached:

• Act in the client's best interests
• Cooperate openly with regulators
• Honesty
• Integrity
• No conflict between current clients
• Non-discriminatory acceptance and cab-rank
• Not misrepresent regulated status

Aggravating factors:

• Dishonesty found
• Deliberate and calculated actions
• Concealment by lying to the regulator and others
• Financial motivation
• Misconduct over a protracted period
• Harm to Client B and clients whose consent was not obtained
• Limited insight

Mitigating factors:

• No previous disciplinary findings / hitherto unblemished career
• Admissions made (albeit at a late stage)
• Personal and family difficulties and health problems at the relevant time (asserted but unsupported by medical evidence)