Sam
Baker-Harber
Employee
7330723
Decision - Sanction
Outcome: Rebuke
Outcome date: 21 January 2026
Published date: 11 June 2026
Firm details
Firm or organisation at time of matters giving rise to outcome
Name: Simpson Thacher and Bartlett LLP
Address(es): City point, One Ropemaker Street, London, EC2Y 9HU
Firm ID: 380782
Firm or organisation at date of publication
Name: Proskauer Rose LLP
Address(es): 8 Bishopgate London EC2N 4BQ
Firm ID: 468755
Outcome details
This outcome was reached by SRA decision.
Decision details
Who does this disciplinary decision relate to?
Sam Baker-Harber was employed as a paralegal at Simpson Thacher and Bartlett LLP, located at CityPoint, One Ropemaker Street, London, EC2Y 9HU, a regulated body at the time of the offence. He is currently employed at Proskauer Rose LLP, 8 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4BQ.
Short summary of decision
It was found that on 29 December 2024, Mr Baker-Harber drove a motor vehicle on a road, when over the prescribed limit in law for alcohol in his body. He also did not have third party insurance for the vehicle and so breached Principle 2 of the SRA Principles 2019.
On 28 January 2025, at Cheltenham Magistrates Court, Mr Baker-Harber pleaded guilty to and was convicted of an offence of driving with excess alcohol and driving without a valid policy of insurance. He was sentenced to a 12 month community order with a requirement of 80 hours of unpaid work. He was also disqualified from driving for 40 months and ordered to pay a surcharge of £114 and costs of £85.
Decision on sanction
It was decided that a rebuke was an appropriate and proportionate sanction.
Mr Baker-Harber was issued with a written rebuke and ordered to pay costs of £600.
This was because Mr Baker-Harber’s conduct was serious by reference to the following factors in the SRA Enforcement Strategy and the SRA’s topic guide on convictions for driving with excess alcohol:
- Mr Baker-Harber had a previous conviction for driving with excess alcohol.
- He received a sentence of a 12 month community order, which exceeds the usual sentence of a court fine, expected for such a conviction.
A more serious sanction was not considered to be proportionate in light of the mitigating factors:
- Mr Baker-Harber had demonstrated insight and remorse.
SRA Principles breached
Principle 2: You must act in a way that upholds public trust and confidence in the solicitors’ profession and in legal services provided by authorised persons