A conveyancer has been banned from the profession for persuading clients to pay into his personal bank account and “cutting costs” for people, according to reports.
Phillip Harris, who worked on behalf of a Milton Keynes firm, was found to have “provided nine different clients with his own account details”. Harris joined the firm in May 2020 as a member of the LLP.
From August 2021 to December 2021, he was employed as a salaried partner. A routine firm audit found that from February 2021 onwards, Harris told clients he could “cut costs” if they paid him directly, according to The Law Society Gazette.
He provided his personal account information on five separate occasions while offering significant discounts. After conducting an internal investigation, the firm fired Harris and filed a complaint about him with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
In a settlement with the SRA, Harris “admitted receiving payments and that his conducts was dishonest” and returned the monies to the firm.
The SRA said:
“Mr Harris has demonstrated a concerning pattern of behaviour. This conduct was not isolated as it has been repeated on nine separate occasions. If Mr Harris continued to work in a legal practice, there is a serious risk this conduct might occur again.
If such conduct were to be repeated in the future, it would pose a risk to client money and clients and/or the legal practice could be disadvantaged.”
In accordance with a section 43 order, Harris is not permitted to work for any regulated firm and consented to pay charges of £675.
