Barrister disbarred for misleading family court

An unregistered barrister has been disbarred after he made misleading statements in the family court while posing as a ‘criminal barrister'.

James Stephen Preece, called by Inner Temple in November 2017, was found to have made statements in the family court ‘about matters which individually or in combination he knew were untrue and/or misleading to the court.’

In September 2019, he told a deputy district judge on three occasions that he was a ‘criminal barrister’ when he was not entitled to do so. The tribunal also found he made ‘serious allegations’ about someone involved in the ex parte hearing ‘without proper basis’.

During the family court hearing, the Bar Tribunal and Adjudication Service found that Preece made a number of statements which he knew were untrue and that he ‘recklessly misled the court or recklessly attempted to mislead the court and/or abused his role as an advocate’.

Preece was found to have ‘behaved in a way that would diminish the trust and confidence’ placed in him or the profession ‘when he practised as a barrister by supplying legal services to his lay client’.

The tribunal found Preece was in breach of core duties 1, 3, 5 and 10 and rules rC3, rC2 and rS8 of the Bar Standards Board Handbook.

He was disbarred and ordered to pay costs of £4,770 to the Bar Standards Board. The tribunal decision is open to appeal.