Lynda Jane
Slaughter
Non-lawyer manager
639827
Decision - Fined
Outcome: Fine
Outcome date: 15 April 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.
Financial penalty - £9,750
Costs - £1,875
Disqualified under S.99.
Reasons/basis
Lynda Slaughter, who is not a solicitor, was Head of Finance and Administration (HOFA) at LA Law Limited whose head office was at 8th Floor Telecom House, 125- 135 Preston Road, Brighton, BN1 6AF between 10 August 2017 and 20 December 2017, when the firm closed.
It was found that:
- LA Law Limited, of which Ms Slaughter was the HOFA, received monies 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 monies from the office account to the client account. By doing so Ms Slaughter:
- breached Principle 6, 7, 8 and 10 of the SRA Principles 2011 and
- breached rule 1.2, 14.1, 17.(1)(b)(ii), 17(1)(c) of the SRA Accounts Rules 2011.
- Ms Slaughter failed adequately to carry out her role as a HOFA and in doing so breached Section 92 of the Legal Services Act 2007.
- Ms Slaughter was made subject to a disqualification order under section 99 of the Legal Services Act 2007. This order prevents her from hlding any of the following roles in a licensed body:
- Head of Legal Practice
- Head of Finance and Administration
- A manager
- An employee.
- Ms Slaughter was directed to pay a financial penalty of £9,750 and costs of £1,875.