Solicitors face disciplinary action for misconduct and dishonesty

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has issued separate disciplinary actions against two solicitors for professional misconduct.

Demi Perrin, a junior solicitor at Blackpool firm Blackhurst Budd, has been struck off the roll of solicitors. The tribunal found that Perrin attempted to cover up a lack of progress on a client matter by asking a colleague to hide a file. After failing to lodge a required land registry application, Perrin initially denied the error and the attempt to conceal it, attributing the issue to a system error before eventually admitting to the deception. She was dismissed for gross misconduct in 2023.

Elizabeth Forrest, a solicitor at Meikles Solicitors in County Durham, has been suspended from practice for six months. The SDT ruled that Forrest failed to act in the best interests of a client for whom she served as a deputy for property and financial affairs from 2006 to 2022. Despite expressing concerns about the management of a property, Forrest failed to take necessary steps to protect the client's interests, including failing to register restrictions on the property or respond to legal correspondence for extended periods.