Solicitor receives regulatory rebuke after conviction for failing to provide a specimen for analysis
A solicitor has been formally rebuked by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) after refusing to provide a blood sample when lawfully requested by police following a road traffic collision.
The regulator issued the sanction to Laura Bailhache, a solicitor at Bailhache Law Ltd in Taunton. The decision was made on 8 January 2026 and published on 16 March 2026.
The SRA concluded that a rebuke was an appropriate and proportionate disciplinary outcome after Ms Bailhache failed to provide a specimen of blood at Bridgwater Police Station when requested by officers.
The incident stems from events on 11 January 2025 when Ms Bailhache was involved in a road traffic collision while driving her vehicle.
Following the incident, police arrested her under section 4 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 on suspicion of driving or being in charge of a vehicle while under the influence of drink or drugs.
At the police station, officers requested that she provide a blood sample for analysis. Ms Bailhache refused to provide the specimen.
The matter later proceeded to court, where she was convicted on 3 February 2025 of failing to provide a specimen for analysis, contrary to section 7(6) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and Schedule 2 to the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988.
As part of the criminal sentence, Ms Bailhache was disqualified from driving for 18 months. She was also ordered to pay a fine of £960, a victim surcharge of £384, and prosecution costs of £85.
Following the conviction, the SRA reviewed the circumstances of the case as part of its regulatory oversight of solicitors’ conduct.
In its decision, the regulator stated that Ms Bailhache’s refusal to cooperate with police constituted a breach of professional principles governing the conduct of solicitors.
The SRA determined that the conduct breached Principle 1 of the SRA Principles 2019, which requires solicitors to act in a way that upholds the constitutional principle of the rule of law and the proper administration of justice.
It also found that her actions breached Principle 2, which requires solicitors to act in a manner that maintains public trust and confidence in the legal profession.
The regulator concluded that some form of public sanction was necessary in order to maintain confidence in the delivery of legal services.
However, it determined that a more serious penalty was not proportionate after taking into account several mitigating factors.
These included Ms Bailhache’s previously clear regulatory record and the fact that she pleaded guilty to the criminal offence.
The SRA therefore issued a written rebuke and ordered her to pay investigation costs of £600.