Solicitors Regulation Authority

A former paralegal at top 50 U.K. law firm BLM has been issued with a work restriction order by the Solicitors Regulation Authority after it found that he had stolen nearly £300,000 from the firm.

Paul Young had worked as a paralegal in the firm's Manchester office between January 2016 and June 2019, during which time he stole £293,834, according to a statement by the the U.K. industry regulator.

The SRA issued a Section 43 order against Young after it found that he had acted dishonestly. The order means that he will need to obtain permission from the SRA to work within the legal industry in future. Young's current employment status is unknown, the SRA said in its statement.

In a statement BLM said: "We can confirm that an individual employed by BLM was dismissed last year when it was established that their actions breached both their contract of employment and the SRA's Code of Conduct. The individual is not a solicitor but their conduct was immediately reported to the SRA. The matter is now the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation. We therefore cannot provide any further comment at this time."

Young was unable to be reached for comment.

The order is the latest to be made by the SRA which has made several rulings in recent weeks on misconduct within the legal sector.

Earlier this month the regulator rebuked a former Irwin Mitchell lawyer who allegedly transferred funds from client accounts to the firm before bills had been issued, while in April it issued an employee order against a former Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton worker for taking part in a procurement fraud scheme.

Meanwhile, the SRA banned one of its own former paralegals from the profession last month after he was convicted of a sexual offense against a minor in Crown Court last year.

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