Law firm investigated by SRA

A MANCHESTER law firm that specialised in conveyancing has been closed down by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

The SRA is looking into suspected dishonesty and breaches of the solicitors’ accounts and practice rules at Wolstenholmes which has offices in Cheadle and Birmingham.

Five solicitors have had their practicing certificates suspended by the regulator. They are: Imran Hussain, Helen Murgatroyd, Bobby Shabbir, Bilal Khawaja and Nasser Ilyer.

A spokesperson for the SRA said it had “intervened” to protect clients’ interests. An intervention by the SRA means the firm is closed and an agent is appointed to handle client files. In this case Kieran Walshe of DWF in Manchester has been appointed.


”The SRA has appointed an agent to return the files and monies that were in the custody of the solicitors to their owners,” it said in a statement.

According to its website Wolstenholmes has completed more than 200,000 conveyancing cases and handled transactions worth £175m every month. But during the past year it attracted widespread criticism on internet message boards for the way it handled some cases.