Solicitor struck off for dishonesty, reckless misuse of client funds, and failing to close firm properly
Sam Themis, the former owner of ST Solicitors LLP, has been struck off the roll after the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) found he caused serious cash shortages on client accounts, misused funds, and abandoned clients by shutting down his firm without warning.
The tribunal heard that Themis, admitted as a solicitor in 2003, was the sole equity partner of the Essex-based practice, which specialised in conveyancing, matrimonial work, and litigation. He also served as the firm’s Compliance Officer for Legal Practice, Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration, and Money Laundering Reporting Officer.
Investigators discovered that between late 2018 and mid-2019, Themis repeatedly failed to safeguard client money. In one case, Client C entrusted him with more than £126,000 from the sale of a property, pending the purchase of a new home. Yet the firm’s records showed repeated shortfalls, with the balance falling as much as £34,000 below the amount that should have been held in trust.
On the day of completion in February 2019, the firm’s client account was short. To cover the gap, Themis made an unexplained £16,000 transfer from the office account to client account, allowing the purchase to go ahead. The tribunal ruled this showed reckless disregard for the obligation to protect client funds.
Embed from Getty ImagesFurther analysis revealed more troubling conduct. On 5 June 2019, Themis authorised a £5,000 transfer from the client account to the office account. That same day, the office account paid £15,000 to an individual identified only as “RF.” The tribunal concluded that the payment was illegitimate and that Themis had dishonestly raided client funds to cover firm liabilities.
Another transfer of £34,500 from client account to office account on 13 June 2019 coincided with payments to HMRC for Stamp Duty Land Tax. While investigators could not prove this transaction was improper, the tribunal said the absence of accounting records made it impossible to confirm the payments were linked to specific client matters.
By August 2019, the firm was in financial crisis. Two salaried partners had resigned, and Themis abruptly shut down both offices. When forensic investigators visited, the premises were locked, phones went unanswered, and neighbouring businesses said the firm had been closed for a week. No notices were displayed to warn clients. Complaints soon flooded into the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), with some clients reporting jeopardised property transactions and others unable to retrieve files or compensation.
The tribunal found Themis failed to close the firm in an orderly manner and abandoned clients’ interests. It also noted he refused to cooperate with an SRA forensic inspection, further aggravating his misconduct.
In its ruling, the SDT said Themis’s actions showed both dishonesty and recklessness, breaching multiple SRA Principles. It stated: “The respondent caused deliberate and dishonest cash shortages on client account, failed to protect client money, and left clients in serious jeopardy when shutting down his firm. Such conduct is incompatible with remaining on the roll.”
Themis did not attend the hearing and was not represented. The tribunal accepted submissions from Andrew Bullock, counsel for the SRA, that Themis had voluntarily absented himself after being properly served with notice of proceedings.
Given the scale of the misconduct, including the misuse of at least £5,000 of client money and reckless exposure of larger sums, the SDT concluded that striking off was the only appropriate sanction to protect the public and maintain confidence in the profession.
Themis was also ordered to pay £2,300 in costs.
The SRA’s intervention into ST Solicitors LLP in August 2019 left clients with outstanding claims and files to be redistributed. The tribunal highlighted the case as a warning of the severe consequences for solicitors who mismanage client accounts and attempt to walk away from their professional responsibilities