Dean Stephen Peter Cowley
Employee
809497

Decision - Employee-related decision

Outcome: Control of non-qualified staff (Section 43 / Section 99 order)

Outcome date: 4 August 2021

Published date: 9 August 2021

Firm details

Firm or organisation at time of matters giving rise to outcome

Name: Samuels Law

Address(es): Suite 710 Cotton Exchange, Bixteth Street, Liverpool L3 9LQ

Firm ID: 535265

Outcome details

This outcome was reached by SRA decision.

Decision details

IN THE MATTER OF: Dean Stephen Peter Cowley of Liverpool

A person who is or was involved in a legal practice but is not a solicitor

THE FACTS

Mr Cowley was employed as a legal cashier by Samuels Law (the firm), whose head office is at Suite 710 Cotton Exchange, Bixteth Street, Liverpool, L3 9LQ. The firm, which is a recognised sole practice, dismissed Mr Cowley for gross misconduct on 15 July 2020. It was found that Mr Cowley fraudulently signed nine cheques in order to misappropriate £22,431.78 from the firm’s client account over the period 21 December 2018 to 10 January 2020.

FINDING

Mr Cowley, 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 Dean Stephen Peter Cowley of Liverpool of this decision:

1. no solicitor shall employ or remunerate him in connection with his/her practice as a solicitor;
2. no employee of a solicitor shall employ or remunerate him in connection with the solicitor's practice;
3. no recognised body shall employ or remunerate him;
4. no manager or employee of a recognised body shall employ or remunerate him in connection with the business of that body;
5. no recognised body or manager or employee of such a body shall permit him to be a manager of the body; and
6. 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 permission.

Mr Cowley was ordered to pay the SRA’s costs of £600.