Andrew
Ridings
Employee
162517
Decision - Employee-related decision
Outcome: Control of non-qualified staff (Section 43 / Section 99 order)
Outcome date: 9 January 2019
Published date: 13 February 2019
Firm details
Firm or organisation at time of matters giving rise to outcome
Name: M Taher & Co Ltd
Address(es): Suite 811, Lloyds Building, 1 Lime Street, London, EC3M 7DQ
Firm ID: 619503
Outcome details
This outcome was reached by SRA decision.
Decision details
In the matter of:
Andrew Ridings, a person who is or was involved in legal practice but is not a solicitor, is now subject to section 43 of the Solicitors Act 1974.
Order
To make a section 43 order that with effect from the date of the letter or email notifying Andrew Ridings of this decision:
- no solicitor shall employ or remunerate him in connection with his/her practice as a solicitor;
- no employee of a solicitor shall employ or remunerate him in connection with the solicitor’s practice;
- no recognised body shall employ or remunerate him;
- no manager or employee of a recognised body shall employ or remunerate him in connection with the business of that body;
- no recognised body or manager or employee of such a body shall permit him to be a manager of the body; and
- no recognised body or manager or employee of such a body shall permit him to have an interest in the body
except in accordance with a Society permission.
Reasons/basis
The Facts
Andrew Ridings is a former solicitor. Between October 2015 and July 2017, he was employed by M Taher & Co Solicitors, 1 Lime Street, London EC3M 7DQ as a salaried, non-equity partner and the Head of Shipping and Commodities. Between March - July 2016, he accepted three loans from the director of the companies he was acting for and undertook to repay this money by December 2016. He used the firm’s address in a loan agreement. He did not repay the loans. He was dismissed from his employment in September 2017 and is currently not in legal employment.
Finding
Andrew Ridings is or was involved in a legal practice (as defined by section 43 (1A) of the Solicitors Act 1974) but is not a solicitor and has occasioned or been a party to, with or without the connivance of a solicitor, an act or default in relation to a legal practice which involved conduct on his part of such a nature that in the opinion of the Society it would be undesirable for him to be involved in a legal practice in any of the ways set out in the order below.