Legal exec faked letter claiming defendant’s liability

Barred by regulator

A chartered legal executive has been barred from the profession after fabricating documents — including a medical report, a witness statement, and even a letter that falsely claimed a defendant had admitted liability in a case she was handling.

Personal injury outfit Hodge Jones & Allen (HJA) launched an investigation into Claire Sadler while she was on annual leave amid concerns of “dishonesty”. This related to both documents and entries on the firm’s case management system (CMS). She resigned three days later.

The SRA’s decision highlights misconduct by Sadler in relation to four client matters.

In the first case, Sadler is said to have “fabricated” a letter and medical report, allegedly from a medico-legal company, and “falsely recorded” both documents in the firm’s case management system.

In a second matter, the SRA found that Sadler uploaded to the CMS a letter that was “not genuine”, purporting to be from a defendant admitting liability in a claim. The decision notes that Sadler then informed her client about the letter. In an “apparent follow up”, she also falsely recorded in the CMS that she had sent a request for medical records from the client’s GP.

A third matter is highlighted, where she “recorded false information” in an attendance note uploaded to the CMS, stating a defence had been received from a respondent’s solicitors — even though the firm had not been instructed on the matter and had not filed a defence. Sadler later recorded false information on the CMS showing court proceedings had been posted to the firm — when it had not been instructed.

Sadler also fabricated a witness statement based on correspondence — of which there is “no record” — which had never been approved or signed, and disclosed it to a defendant, in a fourth matter.

The decision provides no explanation nor mitigation for Sadler’s conduct.

The SRA said Sadler “breached relevant duties”. Given she was not a solicitor, she could not be struck off, but has been barred from being employed by any law firm. She was directed to pay £3,375 in costs.