SRA restricts Neil Brown from legal practice after finding he misled a client
A legal employee who misled a client about instructing a medical expert has been made subject to strict practice restrictions following an investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Neil Brown, whose last known address was in Romford, Essex, has been placed under a Section 43 order, meaning he cannot work in an SRA-regulated firm without prior approval. Brown is not a solicitor but held a senior role at the time of the events.
According to the SRA, Brown worked at City Solicitors Ltd, trading as Farani Taylor Solicitors, from January 2018 until he left the firm in November 2022. During the period from January 2022 to November 2022, he acted for a client in a matter that required the involvement of a medical expert. The regulator found that Brown told the client he had instructed a medical expert and obtained a medical report, when in fact he had not done so.
The SRA found Brown’s actions to be dishonest and concluded that his conduct made it undesirable for him to be involved in legal practice without the regulator’s oversight. As a result, an order under Section 43(2) of the Solicitors Act 1974 was imposed. Section 43 orders apply to non solicitors and allow the SRA to restrict their employment within regulated firms when their conduct is considered to present a risk to the public or undermine trust in the profession.
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In its reasoning, the SRA stated that Brown’s behaviour was serious because it involved dishonesty. The regulator said that such conduct risks damaging public trust and confidence in legal services and therefore warranted formal restrictions. Alongside the order, Brown has been directed to pay £600, representing a proportion of the SRA’s investigative costs.
The order means that, without the SRA’s written permission, no solicitor is permitted to employ or remunerate Brown in connection with their practice. No employee of a solicitor may employ or remunerate him, and no recognised body may do so either. This includes all managers and employees of recognised bodies. They are also prohibited from allowing Brown to act as a manager within the organisation or to hold any ownership interest in the business unless SRA permission is granted in advance.
The decision was reached on 23 October 2025 and published on 18 November 2025. The outcome reflects the regulator’s view that Brown’s conduct was incompatible with unsupervised involvement in legal practice and required formal control measures to protect clients and uphold confidence in the profession.
The SRA confirmed that the ruling concludes its investigation into Brown’s conduct and that the restrictions will remain in place unless or until varied by the regulator.