Disciplinary Record - Neil Lima Frew

Barrister Status:

Disbarred

Called:

Oct 2004

Inn:

Middle Temple

Hearing type:

Disciplinary Tribunal (5 Person)

Tribunal panel members:

Mrs Alison Fisher

, 

His Honour Judge Alistair William McCreath

, 

Miss Isabelle Margaret Watson

, 

Mr James Robert McClelland KC

, 

Mr Jonathan Monk

Decision date

17/01/2019

Breach details:

Professional misconduct contrary to Paragraph 301 (a)(i) and pursuant to Paragraph 901.7
of the Code of Conduct of the Bar of England and Wales (8th Edition) and Professional misconduct contrary to Core Duty 5, Core Duty 9, rC8, rC65.2 and rC65.3 of the Code of Conduct of the Bar of England and Wales (9th Edition)

Offence details:

Neil Frew, an unregistered barrister who was also admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in 2008 engaged in conduct whether in pursuit of his profession or otherwise, which was dishonest or otherwise discreditable to a barrister in that between 30 September 2010 and 5 January 2014, Neil Frew conspired with others to defraud the Legal Aid Agency by dishonestly claiming to have used and paid a company called Legal Support Services for interpreters’ services, when in-fact no such agency was used to obtain the interpreters. On 23 November 2016, Neil Frew was convicted of conspiracy to defraud by the Crown Court at Sheffield. On 9 June 2017, for the offence, Neil Frew was sentenced to two years imprisonment suspended for two years and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work before 8 June 2018.

Neil Frew, an unregistered barrister who was also admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in 2008, behaved in a way which was likely to diminish the trust and confidence which the public placed in him or in the profession and/or behaved in a manner which could reasonably be seen by the public to undermine his honesty and integrity in that between 6th January 2014 and 1st October 2014, he conspired with others to defraud the Legal Aid Agency by dishonestly claiming to have used and paid a company called Legal Support Services for interpreter services, when in fact no such agency was used to obtain the interpreters. On 23 November 2016, Neil Frew was convicted of conspiracy to defraud by the Crown Court at Sheffield. On 9 June 2017, for the offence, he was sentenced to two years imprisonment suspended for two years and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work before 8 June 2018.

Neil Frew, an unregistered barrister, failed to report promptly to the Bar Standards Board that he/she was convicted of a criminal offence other than a minor criminal offence, in that on 23 November 2016, he had been convicted of conspiracy to defraud by the Crown Court in Sheffield and did not report the said conviction to the Bar Standards Board until 23 February 2018.

Neil Frew, an unregistered barrister, failed to report promptly to the Bar Standards Board that he/she had been the subject of regulatory and enforcement action and disciplinary proceedings by another Approved Regulator, in that on 1 September 2017, the Solicitors Regulatory Authority brought proceedings before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal against Neil Frew, which Tribunal, on 6 November 2017 made an order striking Neil Frew off the Roll of Solicitors. Neil Frew did not report these actions to the Bar Standards Board until 23 February 2018.

Sanction:

Disbarred from 25 February 2019

Status:

Final