Solicitors Regulation Authority

An associate at the London office of U.S. law firm Paul Hastings has been formally rebuked by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) after being found guilty of drink driving.

Charlie How, who previously trained at Linklaters according to his LinkedIn profile, was also ordered to pay costs of £300 towards the SRA's investigation.

The SRA found that he had breached principle 6 of the SRA Principles 2011, namely that he failed to behave in a way which maintains the trust the public places in him and in the provision of legal services.

In handing down the decision, the regulator did however note that there was no case of dishonesty, he had showed remorse for his actions and it was an isolated incident.

How had previously been found guilty before the East London Magistrates Court in May of driving while over the alcohol limit in an incident which took place on Boxing Day last year.

There he was fined £375 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £37. He was also banned from driving for 12 months, reduced to nine after completing a drink drive rehabilitation course.

The decision is the latest taken by the regulator surrounding conduct unrelated to legal operations but which the SRA deems to have brought the profession into disrepute.

Last week, an employee at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr was fined for entering an aircraft drunk and assaulting staff on the plane.

Earlier in the year, a Hogan Lovells partner Sylvain Dhennin was also rebuked after failing to inform the SRA of a dispute he had with his former nanny in which she successfully claimed she had been discriminated against and unfairly dismissed because she was pregnant.