Toby
Everden
Employee
7157617
Decision - Employee-related decision
Outcome: Control of non-qualified staff (Section 43 / Section 99 order)
Outcome date: 12 October 2026
Published date: 3 November 2026
Firm details
Firm or organisation at time of matters giving rise to outcome
Name: University of Southampton
Address(es): Legal Services, George Thomas Building, University of Southampton, Highfield, SOUTHAMPTON, SO17 1BJ, England
Firm ID: 52
Outcome details
This outcome was reached by SRA decision.
Decision details
Who does this decision relate to?
Toby Daniel Everden whose last known address was in Guildford.
A person who is or was involved in a legal practice but is not a solicitor.
Summary of decision
The SRA has put restrictions on where and how Mr Everden can work in an SRA regulated firm.
Mr Everden, 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 him to be involved in a legal practice in any of the ways described in the order below.
The facts of the case
On 17 November 2025 Mr Everden pleaded guilty to charges of blackmail; making indecent photographs of a child; possessing extreme pornographic images portraying rape and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.
At the time of the conduct giving rise to the convictions Mr Everden was employed as a trainee solicitor in the Legal Services Department of the University of Southampton.
Decision on outcome
An order pursuant to section 43(2) of the Solicitors Act 1974 was imposed as Mr Everden's conduct meant that it was undesirable for him to be involved in a legal practice without the SRA's prior approval. The order pursuant to section 43 was made with effect from the date of the letter or email notifying Mr Everden of the decision.
Mr Everden's criminal conduct occurred outside of his work. Even though the convictions were unrelated to legal practice it was found that the serious nature of the misconduct meant that it was undesirable for Mr Everden to be involved in a legal practice in future without the SRA's prior approval.
Mr Everden was also ordered to pay a proportion of the SRA's costs of £600.
What our Section 43 order means
- 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 the SRA's prior written permission.