Tribunal lies | Solicitor struck off for 'serious, deliberate & repeated' dishonesty over IT issue claims

A solicitor has been struck off after admitting to multiple acts of dishonesty, including falsely claiming IT failures had prevented her from receiving key case documents.

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) found that Alison Clare Banerjee, an employment law specialist at Hunt and Coombs LLP until her resignation in February 2023, had “serious, deliberate, and repeated acts of dishonesty” which caused “significant harm” to clients and undermined trust in the profession.

Banerjee admitted misleading both clients and the Employment Tribunal (ET) in six separate incidents between September 2021 and January 2023.

Misleading the tribunal over email problems

In June 2022, Banerjee told the ET that IT issues had stopped her receiving an email from Capsticks LLP, dated 21 December 2021, and a draft List of Issues sent in May 2022 until shortly before a preliminary hearing.