He faced a legal bill of over £100k after being struck off
The strange story of a solicitor who branded himself ‘Lord Harley of Counsel’ and created a wacky LinkedIn CV full of far-fetched claims has culminated in his personal bankruptcy.
Alan Blacker was struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) two years ago for, among other things, making “inaccurate and misleading” statements about his academic qualifications and professional memberships.
The case against him was brought by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), which instructed leading barrister Edward Levey, from magic circle set Fountain Court Chambers. This left Blacker with a costs bill of £86,000.
A subsequent appeal of the SDT decision in 2017 is believed to have taken Blacker’s legal bill to over £100,000.
In March this year the SRA filed a petition to bankrupt Blacker, which was granted by a judge last month before being made public.
A spokesperson for the SRA said:
“We are committed to using the profession’s money efficiently, and that includes recovering costs where appropriate. When we are recovering costs, we aim to take a fair and pragmatic approach, tailored to the circumstances of each individual. Petitioning for bankruptcy can help us properly establish someone’s assets through an independent trustee.”
Legal Cheek attempted to contact Blacker for comment but did not receive a response.