Failed to disclose court judgment against him
A law graduate has been barred from the legal profession for not disclosing a court ruling against him in a job application for a paralegal role.
Shahraq Hussain secured a position in the motor fraud team at the national law firm DAC Beachcroft in February last year. As part of the pre-employment checks, the law graduate was asked if he had ever been involved in any civil proceedings or had any outstanding judgment debts against him.
Hussain answered “no” to both questions, despite having been found “fundamentally dishonest” in his conduct of a personal injury claim, according to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
The regulator’s decision states that Hussain’s claim was dismissed by Birmingham County Court in October 2019, and he was ordered to pay the second defendant’s legal costs.
His responses were found to be “false and misleading” and his conduct “dishonest”.
The SRA made the subject of a section 43 order which prevents him from working for any regulatory law firm without its prior approval. He was also ordered to pay the SRA’s costs of £600.