The U.K.'s Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has published its reasons for fining rather than banning former Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer partner Ryan Beckwith, including that his actions amounted to a 'one-off incident'.

The U.K. regulator tribunal concluded that, while there was enough evidence to fine him, there was little to suggest an outright ban was warranted. It added his alleged misconduct was caused by "a lapse in his judgment" and that the misconduct was "highly unlikely to be repeated".

The judgment follows the nine-day hearing into claims of sexual misconduct against Beckwith, who in October 2019, was fined £35,000 with costs of £200,000 for failing to act with integrity, as required of a member of the profession, and for failing to behave in a way that maintains the public trust.