Solicitor referred to tribunal over alleged accounts breaches and inaccurate disclosures
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has referred a Birmingham-based solicitor to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) over a series of alleged regulatory breaches, including issues relating to professional indemnity insurance and compliance with accounts rules.
Gordon McPherson Keir, a solicitor at Hadgkiss Hughes & Beale, is facing disciplinary proceedings following a decision by the SRA dated 15 March 2025 and published on 1 April 2026. The matter will now be considered by the independent tribunal, which will determine whether the allegations are proven.
The SRA alleges that Mr Keir provided inaccurate information on professional indemnity insurance proposal forms over several years. Specifically, it is claimed that he answered “No” to a question regarding whether the firm’s accounts had been qualified within the previous five years on multiple occasions between 2018 and 2022.
In addition, the regulator alleges that the firm failed to comply with its obligations under both the SRA Accounts Rules 2011 and the SRA Accounts Rules 2019 over an extended period from January 2015 to December 2024. As a manager of the firm, Mr Keir is alleged to have been responsible for these breaches.
The SRA further claims that, in his role as Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration (COFA), Mr Keir did not take all reasonable steps to ensure that the firm, its managers and employees complied with regulatory requirements.
Among the specific allegations is a failure to ensure that a qualified accountant’s report for the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 accounting period was delivered to the SRA. The regulator also alleges that, on or before 25 January 2023, the firm did not act in accordance with the accounts rules when client money was paid from a client account to a third party.
The SDT has certified that there is a case to answer in respect of these allegations. However, the claims remain unproven and will be subject to a full hearing, during which evidence will be considered from both the SRA and the solicitor.
Hadgkiss Hughes & Beale, the firm involved in the matter, is based in Moseley, Birmingham. No findings of misconduct have yet been made.
The case highlights the SRA’s role in investigating potential breaches of professional standards and referring matters to the tribunal where appropriate. The outcome will depend on the tribunal’s assessment of the evidence presented.