Donna
Prested
Lawyer manager
285745
Decision - Fined
Outcome: Fine
Outcome date: 24 June 2021
Published date: 14 April 2022
Firm details
Firm or organisation at time of matters giving rise to outcome
Name: LA Law Limited
Address(es): Formerly of 8th Floor Telecom House, 125-135 Preston Road, Brighton East Sussex BN1 6AF.
Firm ID: 596802
Outcome details
This outcome was reached by SRA decision.
Decision details
Decision by an Adjudicator, considered for review by an Adjudication Panel and upheld.
Financial penalty - £18,000
Costs - £3,000
Reasons/basis
Donna Prested is a solicitor. She was a manager and Head of Legal Practice (HOLP) at LA Law Limited, a licensed body, formerly of 8th Floor Telecom House, 125-135 Preston Road, Brighton East Sussex BN1 6AF. LA Law Limited went into administration on 20 December 2017.
It was found that:
- Ms Prested breached Principles 4 and 6 of the SRA Principles 2011 (the Principles) and failed to achieve Outcome 3.4 of the SRA Code of Conduct 2011 (the Code) by failing to carry out an sufficient investigation and identify that there was a significant risk of an own interest conflict.
- Ms Prested breached Principles 4, 5 and 6 of the Principles and failed to achieve Outcome 1.12 of the Code by failing to inform clients of the amount of commission received by a connected business and details of the relationship with that connected business.
- Ms Prested breached Principle 7 and 10 of the Principles and breached rules 1.2, 14.1, 17.1(b)(ii), 17(1)(c) of the SRA Accounts Rules 2011 as LA Law Limited received money for the purpose of discharging professional disbursements, and failed to either pay those disbursements to the appropriate recipients and/or, in the absence of such payments, transfer the money from the office account to the client account.
- Ms Prested breached Principles 6 and 8 of the Principles and failed to achieve Outcome 7.4 of the Code as she failed to run LA Law Limited effectively and in accordance with proper governance and sound risk management principles. • In view of the above conduct, Ms Prested breached section 91 of the Legal Services Act 2007 as she failed adequately to carry out her role as a HOLP.
Ms Prested was directed to pay a financial penalty of £18,000 and costs of £3,000.