A solicitor who is facing the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal over allegations that she conducted a misleading public campaign against Covid measures for children has raised over £30,000 to fight a prosecution from the SRA. 

Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal sign

Source: Michael Cross

Lois Yvonne Bayliss, admitted in 2006, appeared yesterday at a case management hearing before the SDT where the three-person panel heard a number of applications on strike out, expert evidence, and an adjournment of the four-day substantive hearing.

An application for strike out was dismissed by the panel during the morning before further applications were heard.

Bayliss, of Sheffield-based firm Broad Yorkshire Law, has raised £31,859 through 915 donations on crowdfunding site GoFundMe. In an introduction on the page, which has a £200,000 target, Bayliss says she is ‘threatened with a fine and estimated costs of £90,750’.

Following the day-long hearing, the panel agreed that the four-day hearing, originally listed to start on 12 February, would be relisted for later in the year.

The SRA alleges Bayliss sent letters threatening that the recipients would face civil and/or criminal liability if they required facemasks, carried out routine lateral flow tests for children or facilitated the school-age children Covid-vaccination programme.

The regulator said the threats were misleading and Bayliss ‘improperly sought to rely upon her standing and role as a solicitor’.

In her fundraising campaign, Bayliss said she would need to ‘raise a minimum of £200k in order to fully defend herself’ adding that ‘all monies donated…will only be used to fund her counsel (barrister) fees and any tribunal fees, plus such adverse costs which may be awarded against her and any fine imposed’.

Bayliss was represented by Dr Peter Fields. Benjamin Tankel appeared for the SRA.

Costs were reserved.

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