SRA found dishonesty over claims for storage and vehicle recovery services that were not provided
Shahbaz Jaffar disqualification has been ordered by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) after the regulator found that he made false insurance claims for storage and vehicle recovery services that had not been provided.
Jaffar, who was a non-solicitor employee of Nayyars Solicitors Limited, has been disqualified from holding specified roles within an SRA-regulated body. The SRA decision, dated 10 August 2026 and published on 10 September 2026, was made under section 99 of the Legal Services Act 2007.
The regulatory action followed findings concerning Jaffar’s conduct in several client matters between July and October 2024. The SRA found that claims had been made to insurance providers for the costs of storage and/or vehicle recovery, even though the relevant services had not been provided to the clients concerned.
Jaffar was employed by Nayyars Solicitors Limited, based at Stockport Road in Manchester, from 21 August 2023 until 22 October 2024. He was not a solicitor, but the SRA’s regulatory powers under the Legal Services Act extend to certain non-qualified staff working within regulated legal practices.
The regulator concluded that Jaffar’s conduct breached duties that applied to him as an employee of the firm. In particular, the SRA found that his conduct engaged the requirements contained in the SRA’s 2019 Principles concerning public trust and confidence in the solicitors’ profession and legal services, as well as the requirement to act with honesty and integrity.
The SRA therefore determined that it would be undesirable for Jaffar to perform specified roles in a body licensed under section 99 of the Legal Services Act 2007.
The resulting order prevents Jaffar from acting as a Head of Legal Practice, Head of Finance and Administration, manager or employee of an SRA-regulated body.
The disqualification is accompanied by an order requiring Jaffar to pay £600 in costs.
The central issue was the submission of insurance claims relating to services that, according to the SRA’s findings, had not actually been provided. The regulator treated the conduct as involving dishonesty and concluded that the circumstances warranted regulatory action.
The decision does not establish a broader finding against Nayyars Solicitors Limited beyond the matters specifically recorded in relation to Jaffar. It also does not provide a wider assessment of insurance claims generally. The regulatory findings are directed at Jaffar’s conduct in the matters considered by the SRA.
The decision is recorded as an employee-related regulatory matter concerning the control of non-qualified staff under sections 43 and 99. The SRA’s action means that Jaffar cannot occupy the specified positions within an SRA-regulated body.
For regulated firms, the decision highlights the regulatory restrictions that can apply to non-solicitor employees as well as solicitors and other regulated individuals. However, the SRA decision itself does not set out any wider practice guidance or introduce a new regulatory rule.
The SRA publishes regulatory decisions as part of its public record. Its published information also makes clear that an individual decision should not necessarily be treated as a complete record of that person’s regulatory history.
In Jaffar’s case, the immediate outcome is the disqualification order and the £600 costs order. The restriction applies to the specified roles within SRA-regulated bodies and follows the regulator’s finding concerning the insurance claims.
The decision therefore closes the regulatory proceedings on the terms recorded by the SRA: Jaffar is disqualified from the specified positions and is required to pay the costs ordered by the regulator.