A man from Salford who mocked up fake bank statements, letters and records of phone calls to misdirect client funds has been banned from working in any law firm without approval and forced to pay compensation.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority said Jermaine Strong, formerly of Pabla and Pabla Solicitors in Didsbury, Manchester, was “dishonest” while managing money belonging to clients.
Mr Strong was employed as a fee earner by the firm between 13 February 2023 and 22 September 2023 and was responsible for managing a case load of road traffic claims.
He was in charge of making sure that hire companies were paid for cars they lent to drivers involved in accidents they were not at fault for, by recovering from the person responsible or their insurer.
After Mr Strong’s contract with Pabla and Pabla was terminated in September 2023 for unrelated matters, his files were passed on to another member of staff and it became clear there were issues with payments on four files.
According to the SRA, Mr Strong was found to have provided false bank details and falsified documents, including bank statements, letters, and telephone attendance notes, to misdirect client funds.
The solicitors watchdog said that “Mr Strong’s conduct was serious because it was dishonest” and ordered him to pay a proportion of their £600 costs.
The SRA issued a Section 43 order preventing him from working as a solicitor without written permission.
But the man whose last known address was in Salford has re-entered the legal industry and is currently working for a Bolton-based personal injury claims specialist.
Pabla and Pabla Solicitors have been approached for comment.
