Latest news with #SolicitorsRegulationAuthority
Time Business News
14-07-2025
- Time Business News
Police Station Representation in the UK: A Vital Lifeline for the Accused
In the United Kingdom, police station representation is a critical component of the criminal justice system, ensuring that individuals detained or interviewed under caution have access to legal support to protect their rights. When someone is arrested or invited for a voluntary interview at a police station, the stakes are high. The advice and representation provided during this stage can significantly influence the outcome of a case, potentially making the difference between no further action or a lengthy legal battle. Gail Hadfield-Grainger, a dedicated advocate for accessible and high-quality police station representation, has been at the forefront of ensuring individuals receive the best possible legal support during these critical moments. Through her work with GHG Legal, she strives to demystify the legal process and empower clients with clear, jargon-free guidance. A police station representative, often referred to as a 'police station rep,' is a qualified professional who provides legal advice and support to individuals detained or questioned by the police. These representatives, who may be solicitors or accredited non-solicitors, work closely with criminal law firms to safeguard the rights of suspects. Their role is multifaceted, encompassing legal advice, attendance at police interviews, protection of clients' rights, and clarification of complex legal terminology. According to GHG Legal, the presence of a skilled representative during a police interview is essential, as it ensures that the process is conducted fairly and that the accused is fully informed of their rights and options ( Police station representatives must be accredited through the Police Station Representative Accreditation Scheme (PSRAS), a compulsory qualification for those providing legally aided advice at police stations. This accreditation, overseen by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), involves rigorous assessments, including a written exam, a portfolio of casework, and a critical incidents test. This ensures that representatives are well-versed in criminal law, police procedures, and the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), which governs the treatment of detainees. The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) maintains the Police Station Representative Register (PSRR), a dynamic listing of accredited and probationary representatives, ensuring that only qualified professionals provide this critical service. Gail Hadfield-Grainger, through her work at GHG Legal, has made it her mission to ensure that individuals facing police interviews receive the highest standard of representation. She recognizes that the police station environment can be intimidating, with complex legal jargon and high-pressure situations that can overwhelm detainees. Her goal is to bridge this gap by providing clear, accessible advice that empowers clients to make informed decisions. Gail is particularly passionate about breaking down legal terminology, ensuring that clients understand the implications of their choices, whether it's making a statement, remaining silent, or responding to specific questions during an interview. Her commitment extends beyond individual representation. Gail advocates for a system where everyone, regardless of financial means, has access to competent legal support. Through GHG Legal, she emphasizes the importance of proactive representation at the earliest stages of a criminal investigation. By engaging with investigators, scrutinizing the basis for detention, and making strategic representations, Gail and her team work tirelessly to minimize the risk of prosecution. Her approach aligns with the ethos of GHG Legal, which highlights the pivotal role of the police interview in shaping the trajectory of a case. The police station interview is often the most crucial stage in a criminal investigation. As Gail Hadfield-Grainger notes, a case can be won or lost based on what happens during this encounter. Representatives play a vital role in ensuring that police follow proper procedures, such as informing detainees of their rights to legal advice, notifying someone of their arrest, and adhering to PACE codes of practice. They also assess whether clients have specific needs, such as developmental, medical, or mental health requirements, and advocate for appropriate adjustments, such as the presence of an appropriate adult for vulnerable individuals. For those eligible, Legal Aid is available to cover the costs of police station representation. The LAA assesses eligibility through the Interests of Justice Test, which considers the seriousness of the allegation, and the Financial Means Test, which evaluates the individual's income and expenditure. Gail Hadfield-Grainger and her team at GHG Legal guide clients through this process, ensuring that those who qualify can access free representation, while also offering private services for those who do not. The role of a police station representative is demanding, often requiring availability 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, as custody suites operate around the clock. Representatives may deal with a wide range of alleged offenses, from minor infractions to serious crimes like assault or murder. They must navigate challenging dynamics, including potentially secretive or hostile police officers, and adapt to clients' emotional and cognitive needs. Gail's dedication to providing empathetic and professional support ensures that clients feel supported during these high-stress situations, helping to alleviate anxiety and build confidence in the legal process. Gail Hadfield-Grainger's work underscores the need for greater public awareness of the right to free and independent legal advice at police stations. Many individuals are unaware of their entitlements under PACE, such as the right to consult the Code of Practice or access a duty solicitor if they do not have a preferred representative. Through GHG Legal, Gail seeks to educate the public about these rights and the importance of seeking legal advice as soon as possible after an arrest or voluntary interview. Her efforts also highlight the broader significance of police station representation in the justice system. By providing expert advice, protecting rights, and fostering clear communication, representatives like those at GHG Legal ensure that justice is served fairly and transparently. Gail's commitment to demystifying legal jargon and advocating for accessible representation continues to make a profound impact, helping countless individuals navigate the complexities of the criminal justice system with confidence and clarity. For more information on police station representation and the services offered by Gail Hadfield-Grainger and her team, visit GHG Legal. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Daily Mail
23-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Solicitor at self-styled 'work hard, play hard' law firm fined almost £100,000 for groping two female colleagues
A high-flying solicitor at a 'work hard, play hard' law firm has been ordered to pay almost £100,000 after groping two female colleagues. 'Well-remunerated' Lewis Brady molested the women after drinking heavily on nights out, a disciplinary hearing was told. The tribunal found he touched one woman's bottom while standing behind her at a bar and touched the breast of another married colleague in a taxi home from a night out. The 33-year-old managing associate said he had an 'awful feeling' the day after one of the incidents that he had acted inappropriately. After finding him guilty of misconduct the Solicitors Regulation Authority has suspended Mr Brady from practising as a solicitor for 12 months. The shamed solicitor must also pay legal costs of £95,389. The hearing, held in London, was told Mr Brady worked as a solicitor at US firm Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe in London. The law firm serves the sectors of technology, energy, infrastructure, finance and health tech. Mr Brady, who has been a solicitor since 2017, took part in the 'work hard, play hard' culture of the firm which saw employees go out to bars and nightclubs after working long hours, the panel was told. The tribunal was told 'heavy drinking was a defining aspect of these gatherings', and it found 'within this setting, the 'pushing of boundaries' was a commonly accepted aspect of social interaction'. A colleague named only as Person A by the tribunal claimed he had inappropriately touched her in October 2021 at an afterparty in Apulia, an Italian restaurant near the Barbican. Following a wine tasting event organised by their employer, Mr Brady and Person A went to the restaurant along with other colleagues. The tribunal heard: 'At Apulia, [Mr Brady] touched Person A's bottom while standing beside her at the bar, although no one witnessed the act. 'The touching occurred on more than one occasion. 'The nature of the touching was unwanted by Person A, inappropriate and sexually motivated.' The tribunal was told Mr Brady also groped a married colleague, referred to as Person B by the tribunal. The incident happened in March 2022 when he was sharing a taxi with Person B following a trainee handover dinner. The tribunal heard: 'During the initial part of the journey, while conversing, [Mr Brady] put his arms around Person B on two occasions, neither of which initially caused her undue concern. 'Approximately ten minutes into the journey, [Mr Brady] placed his right hand under Person B's bra, touching her left breast. 'In response, Person B immediately pulled his hand away, smacked it back, and confronted him, saying, "What do you think you are doing? No". 'Shortly afterwards, [Mr Brady] again put his hand under Person B's bra, squeezing her nipple, to which Person B responded by pushing him away with her left arm. 'During the journey, [Mr Brady] touched Person B's breast a third time, prompting Person B to grab his right wrist and firmly tell him, "No, you can't do that. Stop", after which she released his wrist.' The tribunal heard the nature of Brady's touching was 'unwanted, inappropriate and sexually motivated'. The journey with Person B ended 'without further incident', with Brady messaging his colleague the following day. The incident in the taxi was reported on March 28, 2022, after the woman 'sent him a message demanding an apology and a 'promise you are never going to do it again'. '[Mr Brady] acknowledged Person B's account of what happened during the journey, in his response to her message when he replied, "Holy f*** I'm not even sure what I was doing. I had an awful feeling the next day I was being inappropriate",' the tribunal heard. 'He immediately followed this with, 'I am sorry'.' The tribunal also heard Person A 'sought assistance from a specialist psychologist' because of Mr Brady's behaviour towards her, and Person B said her 'marital and work relationships' had been negatively impacted by what he did. Mr Brady denied all of the allegations made against him by Person A and Person B, and said he was 'heartbroken' hearing evidence from people he 'had considered close friends'. He said in mitigation the proceedings had left him feeling suicidal. The tribunal found Mr Brady's conduct was 'sexually motivated', and he was suspended from April 2025. It said he is currently 'employed outside the profession'.
Telegraph
13-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Prolific complainer claimed discrimination before even applying for jobs
A serial complainer who launched discrimination action even before he applied for jobs has been banned from making further claims at the employment tribunal. Law graduate Zakir Khan has brought 42 claims for job discrimination against law firms and public bodies, including some where he has not even got as far as making an application, instead alleging the process is so discriminatory that he could not apply. The 'prolific litigant' has now been issued with a civil restraint order preventing him from bringing new employment tribunal claims and appeals arising from job applications. The court was told that his claims success rate was 'poor', with no evidence that any of the known 42 claims he had brought over a period of eight years against the law firms and public bodies had succeeded before an employment judge. Sitting in the High Court in Birmingham, Judge Emma Kelly granted the restraining applications by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and five Government departments against Mr Khan, who represented himself at the hearing. In her judgement, Ms Kelly said Mr Khan's approach was similar in each of the claims: 'The defendant applies for a job with a given respondent. The defendant states in his applications that he has a law degree and LLM in commercial law. 'When he is unsuccessful in a job application, he relies on sections 20, 21, and 39 of the Equality Act 2010 to allege a failure on a given respondent's part to make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process to accommodate his disabilities. 'The defendant relies on a number of disabilities: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. 'In some instances, the defendant does not even get as far as making an application for the job and alleges the application process was discriminatory, such that he could not apply.' Common themes in claims The adjustments requested by Mr Khan varied from claim to claim but there were common themes, including demanding that the prospective employers should replace written competency-based application forms with assessed work experience. He also requested being able to bypass a particular stage of the application process, to engage in post-application correspondence, that they should ignore grammatical errors in application forms and lower the minimum competency threshold for jobs. Others included being able to sit a written test to assess hypothetical examples, that there should not be a word limit on applications, and that they should provide advance notification of online tests and award him higher marks at a particular stage of the application process. Most optimistically, he also requested that employers should have provided a scholarship for him to undertake the then solicitors' legal practice course. Ms Kelly said employment tribunals did not have the power to make civil restraint orders. But they could be issued by the High Court to protect tribunals 'where a party has persistently issued claims or made applications which are totally without merit'. She said there was a significant risk that Khan would continue to issue totally unjustified claims. It was therefore appropriate to issue a civil restraint order, initially for three years. The court was told two solicitors' firms had made 'nuisance value payments of £700 and £1,000' to settle his claims. A counter-application by Khan was dismissed as being 'totally without merit'.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
Lawyer who sexually harassed colleague retains anonymity over mental health
A partner at a London law firm who told a junior colleague he wanted to 'dominate you sexually' has been granted anonymity on the grounds that revealing his identity would damage his mental health. The top-ranking lawyer was brought before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for sexually harassing a colleague at a leaving drinks in central London in June 2022. The solicitor 'out of the blue' said 'I want to dominate you sexually' to a junior colleague while laughing with a 'smile on his face'. The incident occurred a minute and a half into starting a conversation with the junior lawyer whom he had not met before, the tribunal heard. The junior lawyer – referred to as Person A in proceedings – asked him: 'What are you saying to me?' He then repeated his statement, adding: 'Yeah, you'd like it.' The incident took place at a pub near their law firm's London offices and occurred while both lawyers were sat at a table with other co-workers. Person A left the pub shortly after the partner made his comments. She described herself as 'shocked, really angry and really upset' and said she cried on her way home from the nearby City Thameslink station. The tribunal has ruled the solicitor's behaviour amounted to sexual harassment. It has banned him from working as a lawyer for two years and ordered him to pay £32,655.07. However, the tribunal also made the unusual decision to let the law firm partner retain his anonymity after he submitted evidence arguing that naming him would breach his rights under the European Convention on Human Rights. He submitted medical evidence showing there would be 'a real risk to his life' if his identity were revealed. This included testimony from a psychiatrist who issued a report before the hearing. The firm where the lawyer works has also not been named. In his defence, the partner said he was under personal pressure as a result of issues in his marriage and was suffering from exhaustion following an overseas trip where he had drunk alcohol for six nights in a row. He said social anxiety resulting from meeting a lot of people had also contributed to his 'out-of-character behaviour'. He claimed he had heightened nervousness about meeting people after not doing so for a long period as a result of Covid restrictions. The partner later reported himself to the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The tribunal said he was full of remorse and shame. Prior to the incident, Person A had worked at the law firm for four and a half years, in a position that was 'a couple of layers' below the partner, whom she had never spoken to previously. After the incident, the partner sent Person A a message on Microsoft Teams apologising for his behaviour. He said: 'I often say some things which are completely inappropriate. 'Even for my close friends who know me, I know I can be a bit much – pushing limits ... I honestly spoke to you like I would my closest friends and I really hope that you can take this as a compliment to your fun and bubbly personality.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Epoch Times
28-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
Phillipson Promises to ‘Back the Next Generation' With Training Opportunities
Tens of thousands of apprenticeships and training opportunities have been promised as part of the government's effort to increase workers' skills and cut net migration. Ministers have promised a total of 120,000 new training opportunities for construction workers, engineers, health care staff, and other trades in England before the next general election. Up to 45,000 training places will be funded by hiking the charge paid by employers for bringing in foreign workers by a third. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: 'A skilled workforce is the key to steering the economy forward, and today we're backing the next generation by giving young people more opportunities to learn a trade, earn a wage and achieve and thrive. 'When we invest in skills for young people, we invest in a shared, stronger economic future – creating opportunities as part of our plan for change. 'But everyone has a role to play in a thriving economy, and we're taking our responsibility seriously providing more routes into employment, it's now the responsibility of young people to take them.' Related Stories 5/22/2025 5/8/2025 The plans for 120,000 training places include an extra 30,000 apprenticeship starts across the current Parliament. The apprenticeship budget for 2025–26 is more than £3 billion. From January 2026, funding will be shifted away from masters-level apprenticeships to focus on training at lower levels, although support will be maintained for those aged 16–21 and existing apprentices. The immigration White Paper published earlier this month set out plans to hike the immigration skills charge by 32 percent to 'upskill the domestic workforce and reduce reliance on migration.' As many as one in eight 16- to 24-year-olds are not in education, employment, or training. Sarah Yong, director of policy and public affairs at the Youth Futures Foundation said: 'International evidence shows apprenticeships are a highly impactful way to support young people to prepare for and access jobs, yet participation among under-25s, especially the most marginalised, has declined in recent years. 'With stubbornly high youth unemployment and inactivity, rebalancing the apprenticeship system can encourage investment in youth apprenticeships and is a first step in enabling more young people to access good work.' The Law Society urged the government to continue to fund masters-level apprenticeships for those aged over 21. The society's President Richard Atkinson said: 'Level 7 solicitor apprenticeships continue to be the only route outside of university to qualify as a solicitor due to specific qualifications set by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. 'Apprenticeships play a vital role in promoting social mobility.' Shadow education minister Neil O'Brien warned: 'The decision to scrap higher apprenticeships will do damage to the public services, particularly the NHS. 'It will make it impossible for many young people who don't go university to enter the professions. 'Numerous employers and professional bodies have warned about the damage scrapping higher apprenticeships will do, which is why this is being snuck out during recess.'
