Natalie Peachey
Employee
815575

Decision - Employee-related decision

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

Outcome date: 28 November 2023

Published date: 15 December 2023

Firm details

Firm or organisation at time of matters giving rise to outcome

Name: Smith Llewlyn Partnership

Address(es): 3rd Floor, 11-12 Wind Street, Swansea, SA1 1DP

Firm ID: 71091

Outcome details

This outcome was reached by SRA decision.

Reasons/basis

Who does this decision relate to?  

Natalie Peachey whose last known address was in Swansea, Wales.

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 Ms Peachey can work in an SRA regulated firm. It was found that:

Ms Peachey, 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 her part that it is undesirable for her to be involved in a legal practice in any of the ways described in the order below. 

The facts of the case

Ms Peachey was employed as a legal secretary at Smith Llewellyn Partnership (the firm) whose office is at 3rd Floor, 11-12 Wind Street, Swansea, Swansea, SA1 1DP.

It was found that:

1. Between October 2019 and November 2020, Ms Peachey used client identification documents to apply for and obtain funding from a charitable organisation.
2. Between 3 January 2020 and 25 July 2023, Ms Peachey provided inaccurate and / or misleading information to the SRA.
3. In doing so, Ms Peachey acted dishonestly. 

Decision on outcome

An order pursuant to section 43(2) of the Solicitors Act 1974 was imposed as Ms Peachey’s conduct meant that it was undesirable for her to be involved in a legal practice without the SRA’s prior approval.

This was because of the serious nature of her conduct, which was dishonest.

Ms Peachey was also ordered to pay a proportion of the SRA’s costs of £600. 

What our Section 43 order means  

1. no solicitor shall employ or remunerate her in connection with his/her practice as a solicitor;
2. no employee of a solicitor shall employ or remunerate her in connection with the solicitor's practice;
3. no recognised body shall employ or remunerate her;
4. no manager or employee of a recognised body shall employ or remunerate her in connection with the business of that body;
5. no recognised body or manager or employee of such a body shall permit her to be a manager of the body; and
6. no recognised body or manager or employee of such a body shall permit her to have an interest in the bodyexcept in accordance with the SRA’s prior written permission.