LONDON (Within The Law) - A lawyer who failed to inform the Bar of misconduct as a solicitor has been disbarred, six years after he was first struck off the role, according to the Law Gazette.
Terence Symmonds, a dual qualified solicitor, was struck off the role in 1989 for breaching the solicitor's account rules and code of conduct. He had previously been fined and suspended by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
However, The Bar Tribunals & Adjudication Service found that his track record showed that he had engaged in conduct which was likely to diminish confidence in the legal profession. He was also found to have not been open or cooperative with his regulator.
A spokesperson for the BSB said: “The tribunal’s decision to disbar Mr. Symmonds shows the serious consequences that can result from a barrister being found in breach of the rules of another regulator. It also serves as a reminder that any barrister subject to disciplinary findings within another profession must report these to the BSB.”
Speaking in his defence to the Tribunal, Symmonds claimed that he had assumed the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal would have communicated its findings to the Bar Council and the Bar Standards Board and that he’d have been prevented from getting a certificate if he was not barred from having one.
(Written by Tom Cropper, Edited by Klaudia Fior)