SDT removes Simon Griffiths from roll after dishonest handling of £30,000 client money

Solicitor Simon Griffiths struck off by SDT after dishonesty, misuse of client funds and false records

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has struck off solicitor Simon William Griffiths after finding him guilty of serious misconduct involving dishonesty, misuse of client funds, and breaches of professional duties. Griffiths, admitted to the roll in April 1989, was found to have improperly withdrawn £30,000 from client account, misled another firm of solicitors, and submitted false information on his professional indemnity insurance application.

The tribunal heard that Griffiths, formerly practising as a partner at Eaves Solicitors in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, gave a professional undertaking in April 2011 to redeem a charge in favour of Bank of Scotland following a property sale. Despite this undertaking, he failed to discharge the mortgage and instead paid client monies to third parties and his own companies.

In September and October 2011, Griffiths wrote to the buyers’ solicitors, Red Kite Law LLP, falsely claiming that the charge had been redeemed when it had not. The tribunal found these statements were unequivocally misleading and dishonest. The Bank of Scotland charge remained outstanding at the time of the hearing.

The SDT also found that Griffiths failed to maintain proper accounting records. An investigation revealed discrepancies, including an unexplained inter-account transfer of £158,150.12 and a £15,000 payment described both as a payment to a client and to “Hardplace Properties,” a company linked to Griffiths.

In July 2012, Griffiths authorised a £30,000 transfer from a client estate matter which he recorded as an “interim distribution” to a beneficiary. Instead, the money was paid into the bank account of Harwood Court Limited, a company solely owned and controlled by Griffiths, and then transferred to another of his companies, Rock Estates Limited. The tribunal rejected Griffiths’s explanations, finding his handwritten attendance note to justify the transfer was created after the fact and formed part of an attempt to conceal his misconduct.

The tribunal concluded that Griffiths had used client funds for his own purposes, an act it described as dishonest both by the objective standards of reasonable people and by Griffiths’s own awareness.

Further misconduct was identified in September 2012 when Griffiths completed a professional indemnity insurance proposal form. He falsely declared that neither he nor his firm had been subject to regulatory investigations, despite being aware of ongoing proceedings. The SDT found that these omissions amounted to dishonesty.

Griffiths did not attend the tribunal hearing and was not represented, but his written submissions were considered. He admitted some allegations, including the improper use of client money and the false statements on the insurance form, but denied dishonesty in respect of certain matters. He also referred to mental health issues, claiming to have been diagnosed with a personality disorder and undergoing counselling since 2010. However, the tribunal noted that medical evidence was filed late, not from a psychiatrist, and afforded it little weight.

In its judgment, the SDT emphasised the gravity of the misconduct, citing the leading case of Bolton v Law Society on the central importance of integrity and honesty to the profession. It found there were no exceptional circumstances to justify any sanction short of striking off.

The tribunal ordered that Griffiths be struck off the roll of solicitors and pay costs of £31,200.

The decision underscores the SDT’s firm stance against solicitors who misuse client funds and act dishonestly, stating that such behaviour undermines public trust in the profession and leaves no alternative but permanent removal from practice