Chartered legal exec at top PI firm banned for fabricating defendant’s admission

A legal executive at a leading personal injury firm has been barred after fabricating a host of documents including a defendant’s admission of liability.

According to a Solicitors Regulation Authority notice, Claire Sadler had been with London firm Hodge Jones & Allen for more than 11 years when concerns were raised about files she was handling.

The firm suspected dishonesty on the part of Sadler and reviewed her files while she was on annual leave. It was found that certain documents were suspect, including court pleadings, expert reports and communications with opponent firms and experts. The firm also found issues with entries that had been uploaded to its case management system.

HJA provided three reports to the SRA highlighting concerns across a total of 32 matters that Sadler was working on. She was suspended by the firm and resigned three days later with immediate effect.

The SRA’s notice highlighted four cases which showed the extent of her misconduct.

In one, she fabricated a letter and medical report purportedly from a medico-legal company and falsely recorded both on the CMS.

She also created a letter in another claim purportedly from the defendant admitting liability. The letter was not only not genuine, but no admission had been made and she uploaded this letter and proceeded to inform the client.

In a third matter, Sadler recorded false information in an attendance note saved onto the case management system, stating that a defence had been received from the respondent’s solicitors. She also recorded false information on the CMS to show that court proceedings were posted to the firm when it had not been instructed.

Sadler also fabricated a witness statement which had never been approved or signed, and proceeded to disclose it to a defendant.

The SRA said Sadler had acted dishonestly and she was disqualified from being employed by any law firm. She was also ordered to pay £3,375 costs.

The notice did not give any explanation for why Sadler acted as she did, nor did it outline any mitigation she might have offered.

Sadler had been congratulated by the firm in a press release in 2021 stating that she had qualified as a chartered legal executive. At the time she ran a case load specialising in road traffic accidents. The firm’s website highlighted client feedback left with Trustpilot which hailed Sadler in particular as ‘excellent’ throughout the claim progress.