Jane
Stark
Solicitor
377985
Decision - Prosecution
Outcome: Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal order
Outcome date: 21 March 2023
Published date: 31 March 2023
Firm details
Firm or organisation at time of matters giving rise to outcome
Name: North Ainley Solicitors
Address(es): 34-36 Clegg Street, Oldham OL1 1PS
Firm ID: 058840
Outcome details
This outcome was reached by SRA decision.
Reasons/basis
This notification relates to a Decision to prosecute before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. This is an independent Tribunal which reaches its own decision after considering all the evidence, including any evidence put forward by the Respondent. The Tribunal had certified that there was a case to answer.
On 21 March 2023 the SDT considered and approved an Agreed Outcome and ordered:
1.Ms Stark be suspended from practice for a period of 6 months commencing on 21 March 2023.
2. Upon the expiration of the fixed term of suspension referred to above, Ms Stark shall be subject to conditions imposed indefinitely by the Tribunal as follows:
- That the Respondent shall not act as a manager or owner of any authorised body, authorised non-SRA firm or legal services body;
- Subject to the condition above, the Respondent may act as a solicitor, only as an employee where the role has first been approved by the Solicitors Regulation Authority;
- That the Respondent shall not provide legal services as a freelance solicitor offering reserved or unreserved services on his/her own account under regulations 10.2 (a) and (b) of the SRA Authorisation of Individuals Regulations;
- That the Respondent may not act as a compliance officer for legal practice (COLP) or compliance officer for finance and administration (COFA) for any authorised body, or Head of Legal Practice (HOLP) or head of finance and administration (HOFA) in any authorised non-SRA firm;
- That the Respondent shall keep her professional commitments under review and limit her practice in accordance with any medical advice;
- That, for the purposes of complying with condition e) above, the Respondent shall disclose any relevant medical advice to her employer.
3. There be liberty to either party to apply to the Tribunal to vary the conditions set out at paragraph 2 above.
The SDT judgment will be available at www.solicitorstribunal.org.uk