Disciplinary Record - Victoria Lennard

Decision - Employee-related decision

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

Outcome date: 25 August 2023

Published date: 5 September 2023

Firm details

Firm or organisation at date of publication

Name: MB Legal Services Limited

Address(es): Lyons House 2 Station Road Frimley GU16 7JA

Firm ID: 565129

Outcome details

This outcome was reached by SRA decision.

Decision details

Who does this decision relate to?

Victoria Lennard of Fleet, Hampshire.

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 Mrs Lennard can work in an SRA regulated firm.

A former client of the firm requested their client file. It was found that Mrs Lennard amended the original copy of a document on the file and sent the amended copy to the client whilst purporting it to be the original document. It was found that Mrs

Lennard's conduct was dishonest.

Reasons/basis

The facts of the case

Mrs Lennard worked as office manager at MB Legal Services Limited (trading as Brooks & Partners) (the firm) from 16 October 1997 until it ceased trading on 28 October 2022.

On 7 August 2019, a former client of the firm asked for a copy of her client file. On 6 September 2019, Mrs Lennard sent the former client her file. However, prior to doing so, she amended a document on the file. She included additional words which were not in the original document without notifying the client she had done so.

On 18 September 2019, a query was raised with Mrs Lennard about the authenticity of the additional words she had added to the document she provided to the client. On 23 September 2019, Mrs Lennard admitted that she had wrongly added the words to the document. It was found that Mrs Lennard had added the words dishonestly to deceive the former client about the contents of that document.

Our decision on outcome

An order pursuant to section 43(2) of the Solicitors Act 1974 was imposed as Mrs Lennard’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 in dishonestly amending a document and sending it to another person to deceive them.

Mrs Lennard was also ordered to pay the SRA’s costs of £600.

What our Section 43 order means

1. To make an order pursuant to section 43 that with effect from the date of the letter or email notifying Mrs Lennard of this decision:
2. (i) no solicitor shall employ or remunerate her in connection with his/her practice as a solicitor;
3. (ii) no employee of a solicitor shall employ or remunerate her in connection with the solicitor's practice;
4. no recognised body shall employ or remunerate her;
5. no manager or employee of a recognised body shall employ or remunerate her in connection with the business of that body;
6. no recognised body or manager or employee of such a body shall permit her to be a manager of the body; and
7. 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.