Sheffield law firm fined for secretly overcharging clients £40,000

Taylor Bracewell Law, which also has an office in Doncaster, added £18 on to the bills of 2,225 clients without their knowledge over more than two years.

An investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority found the fees went towards the cost of a £120,000 new case management system.

The company, based at 11 Paradise Square, Sheffield, had taken out a £60,000 loan with Property Search Group to help pay for it.

It also agreed to use only PSG for conveyancing searches costing £193 until it was repaid.

Taylor Bracewell secretly added an extra £18 on to search fees to cover the cost of the loan.

The practice took place between June 2017 and October 2019.

The SRA fined the firm £30,540 to ‘uphold confidence’ in the profession and deter others.

Its adjudication states: ‘A fine is appropriate to uphold public confidence in the solicitors' profession and in legal services provided by authorised persons, because it reflects the seriousness of the misconduct and creates a credible deterrent for the Firm and others’.

It said the misconduct continued over a long period of time, affected a large number of clients and the company was ‘directly and solely’ culpable.

It must also pay SRA costs of £1,350.

The report adds Taylor Bracewell returned all loan repayment monies to its client account in May 2020.

Bosses admitted they had breached SRA principles by failing to protect client money and failing to protect public trust in the company and the legal sector. They also admitted they did not treat clients fairly, breaching the SRC Code of Conduct 2011.

Investigators took into account that directors accepted the allegations ‘at the earliest opportunity’, had co-operated with the SRA, had returned all the loan repayment contributions to its client account and promised to return the cash to clients.

They further promised to provide details to the SRA of the remedial actions taken by September 30.

The company has an office on Thorne Road, Doncaster, and a business hub at Number One Railway Court, Ten Pound Walk, Doncaster.