Solicitor fined £15k and banned from senior roles after tribunal brands her work incompetent
A solicitor with over two decades of experience has been fined £15,000 and placed under strict professional restrictions after a disciplinary tribunal found her guilty of serious incompetence in multiple property transactions.
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) heard that Sonia Hunjan, admitted as a solicitor in 2001, repeatedly failed to address glaring red flags in her work while at Rana & Co Solicitors. The misconduct, spanning three separate property dealings between 2016 and 2018, was described as “manifest incompetence” by the panel.
Property sales under suspicion
In the first case, between June and July 2017, Hunjan oversaw the sale of a property despite being on notice that the owner might lack the mental capacity to make such a decision. Instead of pausing to investigate or obtain the necessary medical confirmation, she pressed on. The tribunal ruled this was a clear breach of professional duties, particularly principles of integrity and the need to protect vulnerable clients.
The second incident, from July to November 2016, involved another property transaction riddled with signs of illegitimacy. The deal appeared to be an attempt to bypass third-party interests in the property, yet Hunjan failed to probe further. The SDT concluded that her actions fell far short of the standards expected of a solicitor and displayed an alarming lack of diligence.
The third case, in 2018, saw Hunjan acting for both borrower and lender in a loan secured against another property. This created a direct conflict of interest—something explicitly forbidden by legal practice rules. The tribunal found that she knowingly placed herself in a position where her duty to one client clashed with her duty to another, compounding her record of poor judgement.
Tribunal’s ruling
The SDT noted a pattern across all three cases: Hunjan either ignored obvious warning signs or failed to make the basic checks required to safeguard her clients’ interests. In one instance, the panel said her lack of action was so severe that it amounted to “manifest incompetence”.
Although the tribunal accepted that Hunjan had not acted dishonestly and had gained no financial benefit beyond her normal fees, it ruled that her repeated failures threatened public confidence in the legal profession.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe judgment stated:
“A solicitor with Ms Hunjan’s level of experience in a specialist area ought to have known better. These serious circumstances required no lesser sanction.”
Sanctions and restrictions
Alongside the £15,000 fine, Hunjan must also pay £23,650 in costs. She now faces indefinite restrictions on her ability to practise. She cannot manage or own a law firm, nor act as a compliance officer or head of legal practice. She may only work as a solicitor under direct approval and supervision from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
The SDT emphasised that these restrictions were essential to protect the public from future harm and to restore trust in the legal system.
Hunjan co-operated fully during the investigation and admitted the allegations in full. She accepted the finding of incompetence, though she successfully contested claims of recklessness or lack of integrity, which were withdrawn by the regulator.
Closing remarks
The tribunal’s decision, issued on 21 December 2022, sends a stark warning to solicitors across England and Wales. The ruling makes clear that even without dishonesty or personal gain, repeated failures to meet professional standards can still result in heavy financial penalties, reputational damage, and lasting restrictions.
For Hunjan, the outcome represents the end of any future in senior legal roles—her career permanently overshadowed by a tribunal judgment branding her work as fundamentally incompetent.