SRA refers solicitor to the Disciplinary Tribunal over allegations relating to probate work
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has referred solicitor Rachel Parker to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal after alleging she made misleading statements to clients, colleagues and others while working as a senior solicitor at Buckles Solicitors LLP in Peterborough. The tribunal has certified that there is a case to answer. The allegations have not been proven and will be decided by the independent tribunal after it considers all evidence presented.
Ms Parker, who holds SRA number 584388, was practising at Buckles Solicitors LLP during the period in which the matters are said to have arisen. The firm, based at Grant House on Bourges Boulevard in Peterborough, is a recognised legal practice under firm ID 419965. The SRA published the details of the referral on 12 November 2025, with the decision to prosecute dated 9 July 2025.
According to the SRA’s notice, the allegations relate to statements said to have been made between 23 September 2022 and 23 November 2023. The tribunal certification records that Ms Parker allegedly told clients, colleagues and others that she had submitted applications for Grants of Probate when she had not done so. It is further alleged that she informed them she had chased the Probate Registry about those applications when no such steps had been taken.
Embed from Getty Images
The SRA emphasised that the notification relates only to its decision to prosecute and that the allegations remain unproven. The role of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal is to review the evidence from the regulator and from the solicitor before reaching its own independent decision. The tribunal has authority to impose a range of sanctions if it finds the allegations proved, but those outcomes will only be determined once the hearing has taken place.
Under the regulatory framework, the SRA may refer a solicitor to the tribunal when it considers that alleged conduct may amount to a breach of the SRA Principles, the Code of Conduct or other applicable rules. Once referred, the tribunal assesses whether a case to answer exists and then schedules a hearing where the solicitor may respond in full to the allegations. The SRA’s published decision confirms that the tribunal has satisfied itself at this stage that the matter should proceed to a full hearing.
The allegations relate specifically to communications surrounding probate applications. Grants of Probate are formal documents issued by the Probate Registry and are often required to administer an estate. Solicitors acting in these matters are typically responsible for preparing and submitting applications and updating clients on progress. The SRA’s summary of the allegations states that Ms Parker is said to have given updates that she knew or ought to have known were misleading, though these points will be tested in the tribunal.
The SRA notice makes clear that no findings of fact have been made. Ms Parker, like all solicitors referred to the tribunal, will have the opportunity to put forward evidence in response. The tribunal will consider all material presented to it before making any determination. Until that process is complete, the allegations remain contested.
Publication of SRA decisions and tribunal referrals forms part of the regulator’s transparency obligations. The details released by the SRA serve only to outline the basis for the referral and do not reflect any conclusion about the solicitor’s conduct. The tribunal hearing will provide the forum in which the facts are established and any regulatory outcome is determined.
The SRA has not released further information beyond what appears in the formal notice. A hearing date will be set by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal in accordance with its usual procedures.