Disciplinary Record - Darren Lester Cox

Mr Cox held himself out as a barrister in offering legal services to and conducting litigation on behalf of M in relation to a claim by M against ABS in the Middlesbrough County Court between November 2008 and August 2009 when he did not have a current practising certificate contrary to paragraph 202 (c) of the Code of Conduct and the Practising Certificate Regulations (Annex D to the Code of Conduct) and the said breach is by its nature and extent a serious failure to comply with the Code of Conduct.

Mr Cox engaged in conduct that was discreditable to a barrister and/or likely to bring the legal profession into disrepute contrary to paragraph 301 (a) (i) and/or (iii) of the Code of Conduct in that having received the sum of ?200 from M in respect of payment of the allocation fee in respect of Claim No.8MB03356 (M v ABS) Mr Cox failed to reimburse M for the sum of ?200 which M had to pay in July 2009 to discharge the liability to H M Court Services

Mr Cox failed to respond promptly to requests from the Bar Standards Board for comments on a complaint contrary to paragraph 905(d) of the Code of Conduct in that he failed to respond to letters and email sent to him by the Bar Standards Board dated 23 November 2009, 15 January 2010, 26 January 2010 and 9 February 2010 such failure being by reason of its repetition and/or nature and/or extent a serious failure to comply with the Code of Conduct.

Mr Cox engaged in conduct which is prejudicial to the administration of justice and/or likely to diminish public confidence in the legal profession contrary to paragraph 301 (a) (ii) and/or paragraph 301 (a) (iii) of the Code of Conduct in that he failed to pay to HMCS the allocation fee in respect of Claim No.8MB03356 (M v ABS) with the result that M?s claim was or was likely to be stayed pending payment and he failed to inform M that the fee had not been paid.