The Solicitors Regulation Authority has issued its biggest ever fine for a solicitor convicted of a drink-driving offence.
Richard Lunn agreed to pay £13,836 after his conviction for driving a car while under the influence of alcohol. The fine from the SRA was some 31 times higher than the financial penalty issued by the court.
The SRA last year amended its approach to take account of income when issuing fines against firm and individuals.
Drink-driving convictions previously resulted in fines of around £1,500, but the revised approach – combined with the SRA increasing its maximum fining powers to £25,000 – mean than much larger penalties are likely to become common.
Last week, Piers King, a solicitor with London firm Farrer & Co, was ordered to pay £10,105 after he was disqualified for 22 months for driving when his alcohol level was above the limit. SRA guidance indicated that the penalty should be 16-49% of King’s annual gross income.
That sanction has already been surpassed by the fine issued to Lunn, who is a director of Lincolnshire firm Haywood Lunn and Allen Ltd. He was arrested in May 2022 in Grimsby under suspicion of driving while under the influence of excess alcohol. In November 2022 he pleaded guilty and was convicted of driving a car while under the influence of alcohol contrary to section 5(1)(a) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and Schedule 2 to the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988. He was disqualified from driving for 19 months, reduced by 19 weeks if he completed a driver rehabilitation course. He was also fined £437 and ordered to pay £85 costs.
Lunn notified the SRA promptly after his arrest and conviction. He said that at the time of the incident he was dealing with a number of personal issues that caused him to act as he did. This was an isolated incident and out of character, and the SRA accepted Lunn had shown insight and remorse.
The regulator said that Lunn ‘recklessly disregarded’ his obligations and judged the impact of his misconduct as medium, meaning that he could be fined between £11,530 and £35,311 based on his income. He also agreed to pay £1,350 costs.
