Sarah
Aikenhead
Employee
667226
Decision - Employee-related decision
Outcome: Control of non-qualified staff (Section 43 / Section 99 order)
Outcome date: 16 July 2019
Published date: 27 August 2021
Firm details
Firm or organisation at time of matters giving rise to outcome
Name: Maddocks Clarke Solicitors
Address(es): Fairbank House 27 Ashley Road, ALTRINCHAM, WA14 2DP
Firm ID: 73299
Outcome details
This outcome was reached by SRA decision.
Decision details
IN THE MATTER OF: Sarah Aikenhead of Sale, Greater Manchester
A person who is or was involved in a legal practice but is not a solicitor
Reasons/basis
THE FACTS
Ms Aikenhead was employed as a legal secretary at Maddocks Clarke Solicitors whose head office is at Fairbank House, 27 Ashley Road, Altrincham. The firm is a recognised body. Ms Aikenhead was dismissed for gross misconduct on 13 September 2019 following the discovery that she had misappropriated money from the firm’s client account.
On 30 October 2020 Ms Aikenhead pleaded guilty to, and was convicted of, two counts of fraud by abuse of position. She was sentenced to 40 months imprisonment and had to pay a victim surcharge of £170.
FINDING
Ms Aikenhead, who is not a solicitor, was involved in a legal practice and has been convicted of a criminal offence which is such that it is undesirable for her 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:
- no solicitor shall employ or remunerate her in connection with his/her practice as a solicitor;
- no employee of a solicitor shall employ or remunerate her in connection with the solicitor's practice;
- no recognised body shall employ or remunerate her;
- no manager or employee of a recognised body shall employ or remunerate her in connection with the business of that body;
- no recognised body or manager or employee of such a body shall permit her to be a manager of the body; and
- no recognised body or manager or employee of such a body shall permit her to have an interest in the body
except in accordance with the SRA’s permission.