Disciplinary proceedings

We act for both professional regulators and bodies, and regulated businesses and individuals, advising on substantial and complex cases involving serious allegations; often with an international element and where there is a high level of public and media interest.

We’ve acted for the Law Society of England & Wales, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), the Architects Regulation Board (ARB) and a number of other professional bodies, conducting many of their most complex and high profile reported cases.

We also defend professional services firms and individual professionals facing the most serious disciplinary charges including solicitors, barristers, healthcare professionals, architects, accountants, teachers and charity trustees. Our unusual breadth of experience means we’re able to tackle complex multi-dimensional cases that are beyond the scope of many other firms.

We find pragmatic solutions to the difficult issues in complex cases through close collaborative working with our clients.

We have considerable experience dealing with: 

• regulatory investigations
• disciplinary proceedings
• statutory appeals  
• other matters involving regulators and the exercise of regulatory powers (for example the SRA’s powers of intervention)

We can help you with:

• advising and conducting investigations and evidence gathering
• prosecuting and defending regulatory and enforcement investigations
• disciplinary proceedings, including the prosecution and defence of matters before professional tribunals and in appeals before the Administrative Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court
• a wide range of litigious matters, including judicial review and administrative law
• interventions into existing High Court proceedings
• professional indemnity insurance and perimeter enforcement
• drafting disciplinary codes, regulations, rules and guidance
• providing advice on the drafting of legislation and delegated legislation
• advising on governance, procedural matters and reputational risk management 

We’re recognised experts in our field who are accessible, strategic and work collaboratively with you to achieve the best possible outcome. We have a broad depth of experience across a wide range of sectors including legal, health & social care, property & infrastructure, finance, sport, charities and education, and are used to handling a sophisticated caseload of complex and sensitive disciplinary proceedings.

When required, we’re able to draw on our multi-disciplinary, full-service firm, including utilising additional specialist expertise from our dispute resolution and criminal and financial crime teams.

Several members of our professional discipline team are advocates with Higher Rights of Audience.

Industry expertise

We routinely advise regulated professionals (including doctors, paramedics, nurses, social workers, teachers, solicitors, barristers and accountants) when issues of conduct or competence are raised which could put their practice at risk. This includes fitness to practice proceedings of the General Medical Council, General Dental Council, Nursing & Midwifery Council, Health & Care Professions Council and Social Work England, including representation before the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service. We also advise students in respect of university disciplinary investigations and proceedings. 

The team has been involved in a number of high-profile cases including:

• Naik v Charity Commission [2020] UKFTT 331 (GRC); acted for trustee in an appeal against an order disqualifying them as a charity trustee for 15 years
• SRA v Solicitor Z (Case No. 11941-2019) defending disciplinary proceedings concerning the compromise of employment claims in 1998; stayed on medical grounds on the basis that a fair trial was not possible.
• SRA v Shiner (11510-2016), and SRA v Day [2018] EWHC 2726 (Admin), acting for the SRA in disciplinary proceedings (and related appeal) arising from allegations made by Iraqi civilians against the British Army for alleged murder, torture and mistreatment during the Iraq war.
• Acting for the SRA in Wingate v. SRA [2018] EWCA Civ 366, the leading Court of Appeal case on lack of integrity for professionals, and other disciplinary proceedings and interventions arising from the collapse of the Axiom Legal Financing Fund (including SRA v Barnett [2016] EWHC 1160 (Admin))
• Willams v Architects Registration Board [2016] EWHC 1904 (Admin) acted for ARB in an appeal against erasure of an architect on the basis of a criminal conviction for an offence of dishonesty unrelated to practice

John Gould is the author of The Law of Legal Services and Practice, published by Lexis Nexis and Michael Stacey is a contributing author.

Our team is consistently highly ranked in the legal directories Chambers UK and The Legal 500.

Here are some comments made about us. 

"They are able to offer high-quality advice consistently, but perhaps more crucially for us, they have an ability to think outside the box and come up with solutions in some of the unusual circumstances we face."
Chambers UK (2021) 

"Are the best at professional discipline – these lawyers know their stuff."
The Legal 500 (2022)

"One of the best professional discipline teams in London."
The Legal 500 (2023)

Charges are usually based on our hourly rates plus administrative charges and disbursements. We’ll provide an initial estimate of your likely legal costs and will update this if your requirements or the circumstances of the work change.

If you instruct us on a volume of work and/or can offer us a fixed term contract we may be able to offer discounted hourly rates.

We would be pleased to discuss your initial requirements free of charge.