SRA intervenes in Precision Solicitors after links emerge to a firm that collapsed earlier this year
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has shut down a Manchester law firm after identifying links to a separate practice that collapsed earlier this year, marking the second regulatory intervention connected to the same solicitor.
The regulator confirmed this week that it has intervened into the practice of solicitor Andrew Settle, including his work at Precision Solicitors in Manchester. The SRA said the decision was taken to protect the interests of clients or former clients, as well as any beneficiaries of trusts for which Mr Settle acts as trustee.
Shakespeare Martineau has been appointed as the intervening agent and will take control of Precision Solicitors’ files and affairs. The firm’s website was unavailable at the time of publication, though its LinkedIn profile describes the practice as specialising in personal injury and clinical negligence work.
Mr Settle had been a director of Precision Business Support Limited, previously known as Precision Solicitors Limited, but resigned from that role earlier this month. He is also listed as a director of Sandstone Legal, a firm operating from the same address as Precision Solicitors, according to the SRA’s records.
Sandstone Legal entered administration in March 2025. An administrator’s report published following the collapse revealed that Mr Settle had been involved in proposing a pre-packaged deal to acquire Sandstone’s assets through Precision Solicitors. The proposal involved an upfront payment of sixty thousand pounds, followed by four instalments of ten thousand pounds.
The report noted concerns raised by the firm’s major creditor, which said the marketing process to sell Sandstone Legal appeared to “strongly favour” Precision Solicitors rather than achieving the best overall outcome for creditors. The administrators highlighted this issue as part of their assessment of the failed practice’s financial position.
The SRA has already taken steps to restrict Mr Settle’s professional activities. In October, it imposed conditions on his practising certificate, limiting him to working only as an employee and preventing him from running or owning a law firm.
The intervention into Precision Solicitors follows a series of regulatory actions linked to the fallout from Sandstone Legal’s collapse. The SRA has not provided further details about specific client matters or misconduct findings but said the move was necessary to safeguard those affected.
Interventions allow the regulator to step in where it considers there is a serious risk to clients or the public interest. Files and client monies are transferred to an intervening agent, while affected clients are contacted directly with information about how their matters will be handled.