Tribunal finds solicitor misappropriated client funds and falsified bank records to conceal a deficit
A solicitor has been struck off the roll after a disciplinary tribunal found he misappropriated nearly £1 million in client funds and fabricated bank documents to conceal the financial position of his firm.
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal ruled that Jude Sebastian Fletcher must be removed from the roll of solicitors after finding that he engaged in deliberate dishonesty and misused client money over a sustained period.
At the time of the misconduct, Fletcher was the owner, director, and compliance officer for finance and administration at Fletcher Day Limited, a London-based law firm.
The tribunal found that between January and July 2022, Fletcher misappropriated a minimum of £997,417.58 of client money. The withdrawals contributed to a wider client account deficit, which stood at £2,096,757.59 as of September 2022.
Evidence showed that £2 million had been transferred from the firm’s Lloyds client account into a Metro Bank account that Fletcher alone controlled. From that account, substantial payments were made to “Jude Grammer”, a name Fletcher had adopted at the time.
The tribunal determined that these transfers were not connected to any legitimate client transactions and instead represented the removal of client funds for Fletcher’s own benefit.
Further investigation revealed that Fletcher had created false financial documents in an attempt to conceal the true position of the client account. These included fabricated bank statements and a letter purportedly issued by Metro Bank confirming account balances that did not exist.
In one example, Fletcher provided documentation indicating that a client account held £2.1 million. However, official information later obtained directly from the bank showed the balance was just £3,165.92.
The tribunal concluded that the false documents were knowingly supplied to both regulators and staff within the firm in order to prevent the discovery of the missing funds.
The panel described Fletcher’s actions as deliberate and sustained misconduct motivated by personal financial gain. It also found that he had abused the trust placed in him as a solicitor responsible for safeguarding client money.
According to the tribunal, the conduct involved repeated acts of dishonesty and a fundamental breach of the professional duties expected of a solicitor.
Given the seriousness of the misconduct, the tribunal determined that striking Fletcher off the roll was the only appropriate sanction in order to protect the public and maintain confidence in the integrity of the legal profession.
Fletcher did not attend the hearing and was not represented during the proceedings.
In addition to striking him off, the tribunal ordered Fletcher to pay costs of £65,000 relating to the investigation and disciplinary case.