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DWF trainee barred from practice following ‘gross misconduct’

A trainee lawyer at global firm DWF LLP has been barred from practice by the UK Solicitors Regulation Authority over two years after her dismissal from the firm for “gross misconduct”.

user iconJerome Doraisamy 09 January 2020 Big Law
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Haley Tansey, who was employed as a paralegal and then a trainee solicitor between October 2014 and September 2017, was dismissed from DWF for gross misconduct before her training contract finished.

In findings released earlier this week, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) said that Ms Tansey had “disclosed confidential information and personal data to a third party on multiple occasions without the firm’s authority [and] in breach of her contracts of employment, she failed to obtain the firm’s prior written consent for her to engage in outside businesses and/or employment arrangements”.

The SRA further found that she had breached numerous SRA principles and failed to meet required standards of its code of conduct.

As such, she was given a written rebuke and ordered to pay £2,000 and the SRA’s costs amounting to £1,350.

Moreover, an order was made – pursuant to the UK Solicitors Act 1974 – that she not be employed or remunerated by a solicitor or recognised legal body, except with permission from The Law Society.

Lawyers Weekly approached a spokesperson for the DWF offices in Australia for comment, but one was not received at the time of filing this story. A firm spokesperson did tell UK-based legal media outlet The Lawyer, however, that “We are pleased that the SRA’s decision is consistent with our own findings and that the matter can now be brought to a close.”

Jerome Doraisamy

Jerome Doraisamy

Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly. A former lawyer, he has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. He is also the host of all five shows under The Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network, and has overseen the brand's audio medium growth from 4,000 downloads per month to over 60,000 downloads per month, making The Lawyers Weekly Show the most popular industry-specific podcast in Australia. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of Minds Count.

You can email Jerome at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

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