Tribunal strikes off Henry Syms after reckless misuse of £647,952 in client funds
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has struck solicitor Henry Charles Adrian Syms off the roll after finding he recklessly misused more than £647,000 in client money to prop up his struggling law firm.
Mr Syms, admitted as a solicitor in 1996, ran Lee Syms Ltd alongside fellow director Samantha Anne Lee. The firm, which traded under the name Swain & Co, collapsed into administration in November 2020, leaving a trail of debts and unpaid disbursements.
The tribunal heard that between 2015 and 2020, Mr Syms repeatedly diverted Legal Aid Agency (LAA) payments intended for expert witnesses and counsel. Instead of transferring those sums into the firm’s client account or paying suppliers promptly, he allowed the money to be used as office funds, covering overheads, staff salaries, and even personal dividends.
Accountants repeatedly flagged the breaches in their annual reports, warning that the firm’s systems were exposing client money to serious risk. Despite those clear warnings, Mr Syms did nothing to remedy the problems.
Embed from Getty ImagesBy February 2019, the firm’s records showed a client account shortage of over £610,000. Even as debts mounted, Syms allowed the practice to continue. At the date of administration in November 2020, 141 third-party suppliers were owed £647,952 in unpaid disbursements – money the firm had already received from the LAA.
The tribunal found his actions reckless in the extreme. “Mr Syms improperly used client money for his own benefit as well as that of the firm,” the judgment stated, adding that his conduct had caused “significant harm” both to the reputation of the legal profession and to suppliers who were left unpaid.
Aggravating matters, the panel said Syms had been fully aware that his handling of disbursements was improper, yet he allowed the practice to continue for five years. His reckless approach eroded public confidence in the profession, breaching the fundamental principle that solicitors must be “trusted to the ends of the earth.”
While dishonesty had initially been alleged, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) withdrew that claim after Syms admitted recklessness and accepted that striking off was the only proportionate sanction.
The tribunal considered but rejected lesser penalties such as a reprimand or restrictions, ruling that the scale of misconduct left no alternative but permanent removal from the profession.
Syms was also ordered to pay £6,582 in costs.
In mitigation, he claimed that his handling of disbursements followed practices established at a predecessor firm and that he had believed – wrongly – it was acceptable. He insisted accountants had never explained the gravity of the breaches.
But the tribunal was unmoved. It stressed that as an experienced solicitor and director, he bore ultimate responsibility for safeguarding client money. His failure to act, it said, represented a profound breach of trust.
The collapse of Lee Syms Ltd left behind more than £1.1 million in company debts, including £403,000 owed to Barclays Bank and £500,000 to HMRC, on top of the unpaid disbursements. Medical experts instructed on publicly funded cases were among those hit hardest, with some waiting years for payment.
The judgment brings a bitter end to Syms’ 27-year career in law. He is now unemployed, with his name struck permanently from the roll of solicitors.
For the profession, the case stands as a stark warning: when solicitors mishandle client funds, the outcome is almost always the same – erasure without mercy.