Disciplinary Record - Tina Spencer

Decision - Employee-related decision

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

Outcome date: 23 May 2024

Published date: 28 May 2024

Firm details

Firm or organisation at time of matters giving rise to outcome

Name: Hopkins Solicitors LLP / Bryan & Armstrong

Address(es): Hopkins Solicitors Ltd, Eden Court, Crow Hill Drive, Mansfield, NG19 7AE / Bryan & Armstrong, The New Meeting House, Station Street, Mansfield, NG18 1EF

Firm ID: 462164 / 44368

Outcome details

This outcome was reached by SRA decision.

Decision details

Who does this decision relate to?

Ms Tina Spencer, whose last known address was in Huthwaite, Sutton in Ashfield.

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

Ms Spencer, 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 Spencer was an employee of Hopkins Solicitors of Eden Court, Crow Hill Drive, Mansfield NG19 7AE between October 2018 and July 2022, working as a paralegal in the family law department.

It was found that on 20 May 2022 Ms Spencer provided misleading information to His Majesty's Land Registry in documents filed on behalf of Client B.

It was found that in doing so Ms Spencer's conduct was dishonest.

She later sought to conceal her actions by advising the client not to provide information to the firm, who were investigating her conduct. It was found that Ms Spencer's text messages to Client B on 23 May 2022 were intended to dissuade her from cooperating with the investigation.

Ms Spencer took up employment between 1 August 2022 and 15 November 2022 as a secretary at Bryan & Armstrong Solicitors of The New Meeting House, Station Street, Mansfield NG18 1EF in August 2022.

At the end of her employment, it came to light that she had prepared wills for four testators in her personal capacity but used Bryan & Armstrong front covers bearing their name and address, on each of the documents.

It was found that on dates between 1 August 2022 and 15 November 2022 Ms Spencer attempted to mislead third parties by preparing four wills being titled with Bryan & Armstrong's name and address despite them not being clients of the firm.

Decision on outcome

An order pursuant to section 43(2) of the Solicitors Act 1974 was imposed as Ms Spencer's conduct meant that it was undesirable for her to be involved in a legal practice without the SRA's prior approval. The order pursuant to section 43 was made with effect from 28 days from the date of the letter or email notifying Ms Spencer of this decision.

Ms Spencer was also ordered to pay a proportion of the SRA's costs of £1,350.

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 body

except in accordance with the SRA's prior written permission.