Booze delivered to home address
A former office manager has been barred from working in the legal profession after using her law firm’s credit card to order wine and champagne to her house.
Laura Mason, who was employed at the London office of US outfit Cohen & Gresser, was found to have racked up “significant expenses” on the firm’s account between May 2022 and April 2023. The misconduct came to light in October 2023 when the firm’s auditors flagged unusual charges during a financial review.
An internal investigation revealed that Mason had ordered the bottles to her home address for “personal use”, despite the firm’s credit card only being authorised for business-related purchases. When confronted, she fessed up and subsequently resigned on 8 January 2024, offering to repay the full amount.
In a decision made by way of agreed outcome, Mason acknowledged that her conduct was dishonest and lacked integrity, and that she had incurred significant cost for the firm.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has now issued a section 43 order against Mason, preventing her from being employed in any regulated firm without its prior approval.
The SRA determined that Mason’s conduct was dishonest and lacked integrity, making it “undesirable” for her to work in a legal practice. It noted that her actions were not an isolated incident but had taken place over an 11-month period, demonstrating a “serious lack of judgement”.
In mitigation, Mason admitted her wrongdoing and offered to repay the firm in full. She also cited significant personal circumstances at the time of the misconduct.
Mason has been ordered to pay £300 in costs.
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