Thomas Hardwick banned after failing to disclose firm’s £12m debts to the SRA
A former law firm director has been barred from the legal profession after the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) found he failed to disclose crucial information about his firm’s escalating financial troubles.
Thomas Hardwick, who was a director and part-owner of High Street Solicitors, based in Liverpool, was disqualified after the SRA determined that he intentionally withheld details of the firm’s £12 million debt and impending insolvency. The regulator found his conduct lacked integrity and undermined confidence in the solicitors’ profession.
The disciplinary action follows the collapse of High Street Solicitors, which went into administration in July 2023 after amassing significant liabilities. The SRA had received a series of complaints about the firm’s finances as early as 2020, including reports that it had failed to pay its debts and had outstanding adverse costs orders against its clients.
In January 2023, the SRA launched a forensic investigation into the firm’s business management. Two months later, the regulator was informed by a third party that one of the firm’s creditors had filed a winding-up petition, with a hearing scheduled for May 2023. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the SRA said Hardwick and the firm failed to notify it of either the petition or the court date during the investigation.
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The SRA later received a copy of Hardwick’s witness statement, which had been prepared for the winding-up hearing. The statement included details of the firm’s outstanding debt and disclosed that the company was to be placed into administration — information the SRA said should have been communicated earlier.
Following the administration, Angelus Law, another Liverpool-based firm co-owned by Hardwick, took over as the successor practice to High Street Solicitors. Less than a year later, in April 2024, the SRA intervened and closed down Angelus Law as well.
The regulator concluded that Hardwick had deliberately withheld relevant information throughout the investigation. His actions were described as “lacking integrity” and posing a “risk to public confidence in the solicitors’ profession.”
As a result, the SRA disqualified Hardwick from holding any senior role in a regulated firm, including that of manager, employee, head of legal practice, or head of finance and administration. He was also ordered to pay £600 towards the costs of the investigation.
The ruling makes Hardwick the second manager from High Street Solicitors to be barred by the SRA in connection with the firm’s collapse. In March 2025, Victoria Powell, the firm’s former head of finance and administration, was also disqualified after the regulator found she had substantially downplayed the extent of the business’s debts in meetings with investigators.
High Street Solicitors’ administration revealed that unsecured creditors were owed around £9.5 million, highlighting what the SRA described as “serious governance failings” within the firm’s management.
The regulator said its findings in Hardwick’s case demonstrate the importance of transparency and cooperation during regulatory investigations. A spokesperson noted that failing to disclose financial information can lead to significant disciplinary action, particularly where public trust in the legal profession is at stake.
The SRA’s final decision stated that Hardwick’s behaviour had been “deliberate and calculated,” adding that his omission of key details obstructed the regulator’s ability to oversee the firm’s operations effectively.
By disqualifying Hardwick, the SRA said it aimed to “protect the public and uphold confidence in the integrity of the legal profession