Solicitor struck off after misleading client for years and misusing funds in personal injury case
Gareth Rowan Evans, a solicitor formerly with Slater and Gordon UK Limited, has been struck off the roll after a disciplinary tribunal found he misled a client for years, mishandled court directions, and misused client money.
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) ruled that Evans acted dishonestly by concealing the settlement of a personal injury claim, creating the false impression that the case was ongoing while continuing to arrange medical appointments for his client.
Evans, admitted to the roll in 1993, worked in the personal injury department at Slater and Gordon’s Chelmsford office until it closed in 2018. The tribunal heard that concerns were raised after his files were transferred to new fee earners, prompting the firm to report him to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
According to the tribunal, Evans failed to tell Client H that her claim had been settled on 8 March 2016 for £45,000. Instead, he prolonged contact with her, arranging further medical assessments under the guise of gathering evidence. By withholding this information, he left his client believing her claim was still progressing when in fact it had already concluded.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe SDT said this deception continued for nearly two years. It described Evans’s conduct as “a sustained breach of integrity, probity and trustworthiness” that caused significant harm and undermined public confidence in the profession.
Evans also admitted that he arranged improper transfers of client funds. In 2016, he authorised £17,000 from Client H’s account to be paid to Client G and later arranged a further £4,661.75 transfer to Client P. Both payments were in breach of the Solicitors Accounts Rules and the SRA Principles. Dishonesty was alleged in relation to these transactions, and Evans admitted it.
Further misconduct related to Evans’s handling of litigation. The tribunal found that he failed to comply with court directions in 2014 and 2015, forcing applications for relief from sanctions and risking the case being struck out. He also served documents, including a medical report and schedule of costs, without first seeking instructions from his client. Finally, he settled her claim by consent order in March 2016, again without her approval.
The SDT concluded that these failures amounted to incompetence as well as dishonesty. It stressed that a solicitor must act in the best interests of the client and provide a proper standard of service, duties Evans had “completely disregarded.”
In its decision, the tribunal stated: “The respondent dishonestly misled his client over an extended period, giving her the impression that her case was ongoing when it had already settled. Such conduct strikes at the very heart of the trust the public must place in solicitors.”
The seriousness of the breaches left the tribunal with no alternative but to strike Evans off the roll. It said lesser sanctions such as a fine or suspension would be insufficient to protect the public or maintain confidence in the profession.
Evans accepted the allegations and admitted dishonesty. The case was dealt with on the papers as an agreed outcome between the SRA and the respondent.
He was also ordered to pay £2,300 in costs.
The ruling underlines the tribunal’s hard line on dishonesty, particularly where vulnerable clients are deceived and client funds are mishandled. For Evans, it marks the end of nearly three decades in practice.