Samina Ahmed
Allegation / charges
Breaches, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, SRA Principles 2019
Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision
Samina Ahmed, a prison law solicitor at Tuckers Solicitors LLP, knowingly recorded false time entries on the firm's case management system between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022, logging 7,511.70 hours over 266 days (averaging 28.24 hours/day, including 133 days exceeding 24 hours). She continued after a warning on 7 April 2022. The false entries were used to bill the Legal Aid Agency, causing the LAA to overpay the firm £98,093.12, which the firm had to repay. She was motivated by the firm's bonus scheme (potentially earning £69,300, though no bonus was paid). The Tribunal found the allegation proved, expressly finding she acted dishonestly and without integrity, and struck her off the Roll, ordering costs of £5,000.
Duties found breached:
Aggravating factors:
- Conduct was dishonest and at the highest level of seriousness
- Continued misconduct even after being warned in a meeting on 7 April 2022
- Caused economic harm to the firm and the public purse (LAA overpaid £98,093.12)
- Motivated by financial gain via the firm's bonus scheme
- Senior solicitor and supervisor of trainees
Mitigating factors:
- Admissions made via Statement of Agreed Facts
- Modest financial means; single parent to three children
- Suffered mental health issues during the period
Codes & rules applied
Duties engaged
- Act only on proper, lawful instructions
- Advise on alternatives, settlement and outcome
- Avoid wasting the court's time
- Cease acting on client perjury or disobedience
- Client-care and engagement terms
- Client confidentiality
- Competence
- Complaints procedure and handling
- Comply with and respect court orders
- Comply with rules of foreign jurisdictions
- Continuity and handover of representation
- Cooperate openly with regulators
- Costs and fee transparency to client
- Diligence and timeliness
- Disclose adverse law to the court
- Disclose material information to client
- Disclose referrals, commissions and benefits
- Fair dealing with unrepresented parties
- Fair, reasonable and lawful fees
- Full disclosure on ex parte applications
- Good faith and courtesy to colleagues
- Handle inadvertently received material
- Hold a current practising certificate
- Honour professional undertakings
- Keep client informed and respond promptly
- Maintain competence and CPD
- Manage conflict arising mid-matter
- No abuse of process or coercive powers
- No acting against a former client
- No baseless or threatened misconduct report
- No conflict between current clients
- No direct dealing with represented party
- No improper benefit, loan or bequest
- No improper communication with the court
- No improper fee-sharing or partnership
- No improper questioning of witnesses
- No improper solicitation or touting
- Non-discriminatory acceptance and cab-rank
- No obstruction or victimisation of reporters
- No own-interest conflict
- No payments to witnesses on evidence
- No personal opinion or familiarity with court
- No prejudicial publicity for pending cases
- No standing bail or surety for client
- No taking unfair advantage
- No tampering with or coaching witnesses
- Not mislead the court
- Not mislead third parties or opponents
- Not misrepresent regulated status
- Pay instructed practitioners and agents
- Professional indemnity insurance
- Proper basis for allegations
- Proper termination and return of instructions
- Prosecutorial duty of disclosure
- Prosecutorial fairness and impartiality
- Protect capacity and vulnerable clients
- Protect legal professional privilege
- Report serious misconduct of others
- Safeguard documents and limit liens
- Self-report to the regulator
- Truthful, non-misleading advertising