Regulator intervenes in Buckinghamshire firm over suspected dishonesty and rule breaches.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has shut down Hunter’s Solicitors LLP and suspended three solicitors after intervening into the firm.
The regulator confirmed on 4 March 2026 that it had stepped in because of suspected dishonesty linked to an employee connected with the firm’s business.
According to the SRA, the intervention relates to Jeff Hazelgrove, who served as the firm’s compliance officer for finance and administration. The regulator stated there was suspected dishonesty in connection with the firm’s activities.
The SRA also placed three solicitors associated with the firm under intervention. They are Angelo Luiz-Barrea, Christopher Stocker, and Howard Rind.
The regulator stated that the three solicitors allegedly failed to comply with SRA rules. However, the SRA made clear there is no suggestion that any of them acted dishonestly.
As part of the intervention process, Shakespeare Martineau has been appointed as the intervening agent. The firm has begun contacting clients of Hunter’s Solicitors LLP to inform them about the regulatory action and provide guidance on next steps.
Hunter’s Solicitors LLP was headquartered in High Wycombe. In addition to its main office, the firm operated nine other offices across Essex, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, and Oxfordshire. These offices operated under a range of different trading names.
Financial records show the firm employed 42 people. Accounts covering the year ending 31 March 2025 reported net assets of £224,000.
The firm had previously faced regulatory action from the SRA. In April 2025, Hunter’s Solicitors LLP reached a regulatory settlement agreement with the regulator and was fined nearly £25,000. The fine related to breaches of anti-money laundering regulations.
The latest intervention represents another instance of the SRA exercising its powers to step in where it identifies regulatory concerns within legal practices.
Such interventions enable the regulator to take control of a firm’s operations in order to protect the interests of clients and the wider public where issues such as suspected dishonesty or breaches of regulatory obligations arise.
The move against Hunter’s Solicitors LLP follows a similar action taken earlier this year. The SRA recently intervened into PM Law Group and its affiliated businesses.
That action also involved a firm operating through multiple offices and trading names.
The two cases mark the second time within a month that the regulator has intervened into a multi-office legal practice.
The SRA has not released further details about the underlying circumstances behind the suspected dishonesty cited in the intervention notice. The regulator’s published statement focuses on the regulatory grounds for stepping in and the appointment of an intervening agent to manage the process.