SRA finds director failed to disclose winding-up petition and £12m debts at Liverpool firm
A non-lawyer director of a Liverpool law firm has been banned from working in any SRA-regulated practice after failing to disclose a winding-up petition, multi-million-pound debts and client file transfers during a regulatory investigation.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has disqualified Thomas Hardwick, former director and co-owner of High Street Solicitors Ltd, from holding any role in a regulated law firm after finding his conduct deliberate, dishonest, and lacking integrity.
Mr Hardwick, who was not a solicitor, served as a director and non-lawyer manager at High Street Solicitors, based at No 1 Tithebarn House, Tithebarn Street, Liverpool. The firm, which was a licensed body, went into administration in June 2023 with reported liabilities exceeding £12 million.
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According to the SRA’s decision, the regulator received multiple reports between June 2020 and August 2022 from complainants concerning unpaid debts and adverse costs orders against the firm’s clients. In January 2023, the SRA launched a forensic investigation into the firm over concerns about its financial management.
However, during the course of that investigation, Mr Hardwick failed to disclose crucial information about the firm’s deteriorating position.
The SRA found that in March 2023, one of the firm’s creditors served a winding-up petition, yet Mr Hardwick did not inform the regulator, even while the investigation was ongoing.
The omission came to light only after a third party notified the SRA on 27 April 2023. Mr Hardwick’s subsequent witness statement, prepared for the winding-up hearing, revealed that the firm had transferred client files and funds to other firms and that it was set to enter administration — none of which had been previously disclosed to the SRA.
High Street Solicitors entered administration on 5 June 2023 and was later succeeded by Angelus Law Limited, another licensed body co-owned by Mr Hardwick. Less than a year later, in April 2024, the SRA intervened into Angelus Law as well.
The regulator concluded that Mr Hardwick’s actions breached Principles 2 and 5 of the SRA Principles 2019, which require individuals to uphold public trust and act with integrity, as well as Paragraphs 3.2 and 8.1 of the SRA Code of Conduct for Firms, relating to cooperation with regulators and managerial responsibility.
The SRA said Mr Hardwick intentionally failed to disclose relevant information, adding that his conduct “posed a risk to public confidence in the solicitors’ profession and in legal services provided by authorised persons.”
As a result, the SRA imposed a Section 99 disqualification order under the Legal Services Act 2007, permanently prohibiting Mr Hardwick from working in any SRA-regulated capacity. The order bars him from serving as Head of Legal Practice, Head of Finance and Administration, manager, or employee of any licensed body without the regulator’s prior written consent.
In addition to the disqualification, Mr Hardwick was ordered to pay £600 in investigation costs.
The SRA described the decision as proportionate given the seriousness of the misconduct and the potential impact on public confidence in the legal sector. The regulator noted that Mr Hardwick’s failure to cooperate fully with investigators — particularly during a period when the firm was facing insolvency — represented a clear breach of his regulatory obligations as a firm manager.
The case underscores the regulator’s firm stance on transparency, integrity, and accountability, particularly where law firm leaders conceal material information about financial distress or client matters.