Bradford solicitor struck off for ‘dishonest conduct’

A  Tribunal has ordered a solicitor from the Bradford-based law firm Hayre & Co to be struck off and fined more than £7,000 after being found guilty of a series of breaches involving ‘dishonest conduct’, which date back to more than ten years.

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal heard that in January 2008, Baljinder Hayre filed an incorrect plan at the Land Registry. The plan Hayre field obstructed his client’s land, as opposed to the plan which was approved by the client.

As a result, the client claimed he was “unable to develop the site as planned as the south of the Land was effectively ‘landlocked’.” The client also claimed that by Hayre filing the wrong plan, he had “significantly diminished” the value of the land.

The tribunal was told that furthermore, between December 2006 and January 2008, the solicitor acted for the client (the owner of the land); the purchaser of a plot on the land; and the bank which was the mortgagee for both parties.

The hearing heard that there was therefore a “significant risk of conflict” between all parties, and therefore several regulation rules were breached.

Between October 2009 and November 2016, Haye was further accused of falsifying attendance notes to conceal his conduct and relied on these notes for his defence in a civil claim brought forward by his client. Hayre was found to have practised “dishonest conduct” which was harmful to the “reputation of the legal profession.”

In response, Hayre said he believed the parties’ interests were aligned and the relationship between the parties permitted him to continue to act for them. He admitted allegations and said his position was as a “relatively inexperienced solicitor” and had a misapprehension about the rules regarding the risk of conflict.

The Tribunal has now ordered Hayre to be struck off the Roll of Solicitors and fined a fixed sum of £7,470.