Findings and sanctions of past hearings

Details of published findings and sanctions imposed by Disciplinary Tribunals since BTAS started operations on 1 February 2013 are provided here.  Please note that, in line with the BTAS Publication Policy, findings will be removed from the website after 2 years, unless the finding of the Disciplinary Tribunal involves a suspension or disbarment. In these cases, the finding will be posted on the BTAS website indefinitely.

Details of findings and sanctions are published in accordance with the BTAS Publication Policy: Disciplinary Tribunals and other adjudication hearings.

In exceptional circumstances, a tribunal can require the Bar Standards Board to suspend the defendant’s practising certificate from a date determined by the tribunal and which can take immediate effect (rE227 and rE228 of the Bar Standards Board Handbook). In all other instances, the sanction described in the finding sheets attached will only come into effect after the time for appeal has expired. The date is further determined either by a decision of the Treasurer of the defendant’s Inn or the disposal of the appeal should one be made. For specific detail, please refer to the Enforcement Regulations at rE239 and rE241.

Appeals against relevant decisions of Bar Disciplinary Tribunals made before 7 January 2014 were heard by the Visitors to the Inns of Court.  Since that date appeals fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court (rE236).  The outcome of Visitors’ Hearings (appeals) and appeals to the High Court are also listed on this section of the website.

Using the facility below you may search by: name of barrister; date; type of hearing; sentence and section of the code.

Each set of findings is accorded a status on the following basis:

Open to Appeal: The case is within the period that a barrister can appeal the finding but no appeal has been submitted.

Appeal Pending – Sanction Stayed / Appeal Pending: The barrister has submitted an appeal, which is yet to be heard and the sanction will not be implemented until after the outcome of the appeal is known.  This will be the case unless the Disciplinary Tribunal has ordered that the sanction should take effect immediately.

Final – The finding has been pronounced either after the appeal period has expired or following the result of an appeal.

New findings are posted within seven days of a decision, although it can take up to 24 hours for the finding to appear on the website following its posting (or for a finding to not show on the website following its removal). 

Details of all publishable findings and sanctionss imposed by Disciplinary Tribunals from 2002 to the present date can also be found on the Bar Standards Board website by clicking here.

An alternative means of dealing with professional misconduct complaints is provided by the Determination by Consent (‘DBC’) procedure.  This process is where the Professional Conduct Committee exercises its power to determine the outcome of a disciplinary case with the barrister’s consent.  It is designed to provide a more speedy resolution of straightforward cases without the need for a formal Disciplinary Tribunal hearing.  Further information on the procedure can be accessed here.

Details of the practising status of any barrister can be found on the Bar Standards Board website, click here for further information.

  1. Mon 26 May
  2. Tue 27 May
  3. Wed 28 May

    Close

    Defendant

    Christopher Mills

    (Middle Temple)

    Type of hearing
    Sentencing Hearing
    Panel members
    • His Honour Stuart Sleeman (Chair)
    • His Honour Nicholas Ainley
    • His Honour Nicholas Ainley
    • His Honour Nicholas Ainley
    • His Honour Nicholas Ainley
    Finding and sentence
    Disbarred.
    Status
    Final
    Date
    Wednesday 28 May 2014

    Download published finding

    Defendant

    Edward Agbaje

    (Middle Temple)

    Type of hearing
    5 Person Disciplinary Tribunal
    Panel members
    • His Honour Stuart Sleeman (Chair)
    • His Honour Nicholas Ainley
    • His Honour Nicholas Ainley
    • His Honour Nicholas Ainley
    • His Honour Nicholas Ainley
    Finding and sentence
    Disbarred.
    Status
    Final
    Date
    Wednesday 28 May 2014

    Download published finding

    Close

  4. Thu 29 May
  5. Fri 30 May
  6. Sat 31 May
  7. Sun 01 Jun
  8. Mon 02 Jun
  9. Tue 03 Jun
  10. Wed 04 Jun
  11. Thu 05 Jun
  12. Fri 06 Jun
  13. Sat 07 Jun
  14. Sun 08 Jun
  15. Mon 09 Jun
  16. Tue 10 Jun
  17. Wed 11 Jun
  18. Thu 12 Jun
  19. Fri 13 Jun
  20. Sat 14 Jun
  21. Sun 15 Jun
  22. Mon 16 Jun
  23. Tue 17 Jun
  24. Wed 18 Jun
  25. Thu 19 Jun
  26. Fri 20 Jun

    Close

    Defendant

    Merilyn Brown

    (Inner Temple)

    Type of hearing
    5 Person Disciplinary Tribunal
    Panel members
    • His Honour Nicholas Ainley (Chair)
    • His Honour Nicholas Ainley (Chair)
    • His Honour Nicholas Ainley (Chair)
    • His Honour Nicholas Ainley (Chair)
    • His Honour Nicholas Ainley (Chair)
    Finding and sentence
    Disbarred.
    Status
    Final
    Dates
    Friday 4 April and Friday 20 June 2014

    Download published finding

    Close

  27. Sat 21 Jun
  28. Sun 22 Jun
  29. Mon 23 Jun
  30. Tue 24 Jun
  31. Wed 25 Jun
  32. Thu 26 Jun
  33. Fri 27 Jun
  34. Sat 28 Jun
  35. Sun 29 Jun
  36. Mon 30 Jun
  37. Tue 01 Jul
  38. Wed 02 Jul
  39. Thu 03 Jul
  40. Fri 04 Jul
  41. Sat 05 Jul
  42. Sun 06 Jul