The High Court has frozen the assets of a barred law firm director amid a dispute with the firm’s ex-owner. The order, made last week by Mr Justice Miles, warned Dorota Newman she would be held in contempt of court if she sought to disobey it.
The freezing injunction was sought by solicitor Jay Sahota, who sold Kent firm Jarmans Solicitors to Newman in 2023. Sahota, a litigation solicitor for 20 years, now mentors law firms and runs workshops on how to increase billing and profits. His wife Joti, who worked at the firm when it was under his ownership, was also an applicant.
The firm was shut down by the Solicitors Regulation Authority last year on the basis of suspected dishonesty by Newman, who is not a solicitor. She was made subject to an order earlier this month barring her from being involved in the legal profession, following an SRA finding that she authorised 18 improper transfers from the client to office account, and caused a shortage of around £3,700.
It is understood that Jay Sahota is claiming for owed following the sale of the practice.
Sitting at the Rolls Building, the judge said that Newman was not willing to take the process of the court seriously while facing a ‘substantial’ claim against her. The hearing was due to be held last Wednesday and the judge relisted it for Friday to give her extra notice, but Newman did not attend the court and was not represented.
Sahota was represented by Pepin Aslett of St. John’s Buildings instructed by Akbar Ali of Ali Legal Ltd.
The court order states that Newman cannot remove or dispose of assets up to the value of £346,000. This applies to all assets in England and Wales whether or not they are in her own name or jointly owned. The order applies in particular to one property in Fulham and two in Exeter.
Newman has 10 working days after being served with the order to provide details of all her assets worth more than £1,000. She was warned that wrongful refusal to give this information will be contempt. She will reappear in court in two weeks following full disclosure of her assets.
Newman was previously a fashion designer and interior designer. She was appointed director of Jarmans in 2022, with the firm’s Instagram post to mark the takeover talking about her ‘incredible drive and passion for law’ and describing her as a ‘woman of integrity and sophistication’.
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