Alan
Bates
Employee
554074
Decision - Employee-related decision
Outcome: Control of non-qualified staff (Section 43 / Section 99 order)
Outcome date: 22 April 2020
Published date: 27 April 2020
Firm details
Firm or organisation at time of matters giving rise to outcome
Name: Scott Rees & Co
Address(es): 2 The Parks, Newton-Le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 0JQ
Firm ID: 74802
Firm or organisation at date of publication
Name: Sproull Solicitors LLP
Address(es): 8 Fore Street, Camelford, Cornwall, PL32 9PG
Firm ID: 401204
Outcome details
This outcome was reached by SRA decision.
Decision details
IN THE MATTER OF: Alan Bates of Beaworthy, Devon
A person who is or was involved in a legal practice but is not a solicitor
THE FACTS
Between 26 June 2017 and 4 October 2019, Scott Rees & Co Solicitors, whose head office is at 2 The Parks, Newton-Le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 0JQ, employed Mr Bates as a fee earner in its litigation department.
It was found that Mr Bates created a letter on 6 August 2019 and backdated it to 26 July 2019. This letter gave the impression that he had served two witness statements on the defendant by the deadline set by the court when he had not.
It was found that Mr Bates’ conduct was dishonest.
An order pursuant to section 43(2) of the Solicitors Act 1974 was made in relation to Mr Bates and he was ordered to pay the SRA's costs of £600 in investigating this matter.
FINDING
Mr Bates, who is not a solicitor, was involved in a legal practice and has occasioned or been a party to an act or default which involved such conduct on his part that it is undesirable for him to be involved in a legal practice in any of the ways described in the order below.
ORDER
To make an order pursuant to section 43 that with effect from the date of the letter or email notifying Mr Bates of Beaworthy, Devon 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.