A former office manager who was banned by the Solicitors Regulation Authority seven years ago has finally secured victory after an epic struggle to clear her name.
An adjudication panel of the SRA has ruled that a flawed 2016 order against Layla Dean-Verity be officially overturned in the light of new information.
The decision, which includes the overturning of a £1,350 costs order, marks a landmark moment in a 10-year battle by Dean-Verity to fight allegations of impropriety.
Dean-Verity, previously known as Anjum Tahirkheli, was a director and practice manager of Bradford firm Khan Solicitors along with her then husband Mohammed Khan. Her marriage broke down in May 2012 and three months later she was dismissed on the grounds of serious financial impropriety.
Her claim for unfair dismissal came in 2014 before Employment Judge Cox, who ruled that proper procedures had not been followed but that any compensation should be reduced by 100% because of Dean-Verity’s blameworthy conduct. The judge found the claimant had carried out four categories of unauthorised transaction for her own benefit and rejected her contention she had implied authority to do so.
Two years later, an SRA adjudication found that Verity-Dean had breached the code of conduct and issued a rebuke and section 43 order, restricting her from working for any solicitors firm. The decision, based substantially on the findings of the employment judge, was upheld by an adjudication panel and by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
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