MLP Law’s finance boss secretly used firm funds for personal spending over five years
A former finance chief at a Manchester-based law firm has been disqualified after investigators discovered she had spent more than £300,000 of company money on personal expenses over a five-year period.
Leanne Sodergren, who worked as head of finance at MLP Law, used the firm’s corporate credit card between 2019 and 2024 to rack up personal charges totalling over £300,000. Her actions remained undetected for years until the firm’s bank flagged suspicious transactions on the card in July 2024, triggering a deeper probe into the firm’s office account.
At the time, Sodergren was in charge of managing and settling the firm’s credit card bills—a responsibility she reportedly abused with ease. The internal investigation found that the transactions were neither authorised nor related to firm business. She had systematically used the card to fund personal expenditures while overseeing its payment, creating a concealed cycle of misuse that only unravelled when the bank intervened.
Embed from Getty ImagesUpon being confronted with the findings, Sodergren admitted to the misconduct and resigned immediately from her role at the firm. Although she was not a practising solicitor, her actions still fell under the oversight of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) due to her senior position in the legal services sector.
The SRA concluded that her behaviour was “dishonest” and issued a formal disqualification order against her under section 99 of the Legal Services Act 2007. She was also ordered to pay £600 in costs. The regulatory body emphasised that her breach of trust seriously undermined confidence in legal service providers and warranted decisive action.
The case has stunned many in the legal profession, particularly given the prolonged period over which the fraud occurred without detection. MLP Law has not released a public statement on the matter, but industry observers note that the incident will likely prompt law firms across the sector to reassess their internal financial controls and oversight structures.
The story adds to growing concerns about non-solicitor professionals occupying key financial roles in law firms without adequate scrutiny or regulation. While solicitors are subject to strict professional conduct rules, staff members in adjacent administrative roles often fall through regulatory gaps—an issue the SRA has repeatedly warned about in previous reports.
Despite her disqualification, no criminal charges have been reported as of July 2025. However, the SRA’s ruling will prevent Sodergren from working in any regulated legal services role in the future unless the disqualification is lifted—a rare occurrence that typically requires a significant passage of time and evidence of rehabilitation.
The case has drawn comparisons to other internal fraud incidents within professional services firms, where trust and limited oversight have created vulnerabilities ripe for exploitation. In the wake of this revelation, compliance officers and senior partners are expected to revisit how firms monitor access to financial resources—especially in roles like finance heads, where unchecked authority can open the door to massive losses.
Sodergren’s actions, although carried out quietly over several years, have now resulted in a decisive and public end to her career in legal finance.
