A junior solicitor who lost her license to practice law after losing a briefcase containing Solicitors Regulation Authority documents has launched a last-minute U.K. high court appeal against her conviction.

Claire Matthews, formerly of Capsticks, was barred from the industry and ordered to pay £10,000 in costs after losing the documents that related to a case by the firm's client, the SRA. She is appealing the her conviction, aided by pro bono representation from Leigh Day and barristers at Deans Court Chambers.

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal found she attempted to cover-up the loss of the briefcase in a bid to give her time to try and find it, which proved unsuccessful. 

In her mitigation at the SDT, Matthews, who had no legal counsel and represented herself, stated that her actions were a result of being "panic-stricken" with the dread of informing Capsticks as to what had happened, particularly as she had only been with the firm a matter of weeks. 

In addition, Matthews cited suffering from mental health problems including anxiety and depression, accoridng to the tribunal documents.

As well as launching an appeal, Matthews has also started a crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe, aimed at covering potential legal costs of the appeal as well as costs ordered by the SDT following the conviction.

As of Thursday, the campaign had been live for 24 hours and had garnered over £4,500 from nearly 200 donors from the industry and beyond.

According to a statement by Leigh Day, the firm is representing Matthews in her appeal on a pro bono basis, with the firm's team being led by Gideon Habel, partner and head of the firm's regulatory and disciplinary practice.

The firm has also instructed Mary O'Rourke QC and Rosalind Scott Bell of Deans Court Chambers. According to O'Rourke, the case raises issues surrounding lack of representation in tribunal hearings, as well as potential conflicts of interest resulting from the SRA being both a client and the prosecutor.

O'Rourke also added: "There's issues with costs anyway, but it's even more wrong if you're striking them off, you've blocked access to their job and livelihood. They've taken away her livelihood – she's 31 years old."

Since her dismissal and subsequent debarment, Matthews has taken up work at an NHS 111 call centre according to her crowdfunding page. She has stated that if she is successful, all funding will be donated to legal mental health chairty, LawCare.