Decision record
Kate Louise Sanderson
Allegation / charges
Breaches
Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision
Kate Louise Sanderson, a solicitor employed at Express Solicitors, was found to have fabricated two insurance policy schedules purportedly issued by insurer KLB showing increased indemnity limits of £50,000 and £100,000, when the actual cover was limited to £10. When a personal injury claim was discontinued, she realised she had failed to secure the indemnity increase, and to conceal this error she created false documents to make it appear cover was in place so KLB would pay the defendant's costs (approx £55,000). The Tribunal also found she fabricated three telephone attendance notes and a letter dated 16 July 2015. The Tribunal found her conduct dishonest beyond reasonable doubt, breaching Principles 2 and 6. She was struck off the Roll and ordered to pay costs of £9,000. Some allegations (a 4 February 2015 letter and a 15 September 2015 email) were not found proved to the criminal standard.
Duties found breached:
Aggravating factors:
- Proven dishonesty in material breach of obligation to protect the public
- Actions were deliberate, calculated and repeated
- Conduct took a degree of planning - obtaining and replicating a policy, creating/adapting emails, researching KLB staff names, creating letters and attendance notes
- She was solely responsible and in control of the file
- Attempted to deceive insurers into paying out on a policy far greater than the agreed risk (defendant's costs approx £55,000)
Mitigating factors:
- No personal benefit or financial gain derived
- Misconduct of relatively brief duration (October 2014 to May 2015)
- Previously unblemished career and early in her career as a solicitor
- Positive references and complimentary comments from managing partner and line manager
- Claimed she suffered from depression and anxiety at the time (though no medical evidence provided)