SRA obtains injunction prohibiting former solicitor from practising law

In Law Society v Shah [2014] EWHC 4382 (Ch), the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) obtained a final High Court injunction against former solicitor Dixit Shah (also known as Sanjay Shah) which prohibits him from holding himself out as a solicitor, carrying out reserved legal activities or having any involvement with a solicitors’ firm or any other entity regulated by the SRA in England and Wales.

In 2002 Mr Shah was struck off the roll of solicitors. In September 2009 he was arrested and subsequently pleaded guilty to a number of fraud offences, receiving a prison sentence of five years and six months. Mr Shah was released from prison in June 2012.

On 22 May 2014 the SRA obtained an interim injunction after it became concerned about Mr Shah’s connection with at least one law firm - Trinity & Co. The firm in question has since been intervened (closed down) by the SRA.

Delivering judgment at a final hearing on 12 January 2015, Tim Kerr QC sitting at a Deputy High Court Judge held that there was sufficient evidence that although Mr Shah had been struck off that he was “closely involved” in the management of Trinity & Co and that unless he was restrained “there [was] a real danger that he [might] engage in activities that would either involve the commission of criminal acts by him, or breaches of the regulatory regime by others”.

The High Court has jurisdiction to make an order under section 41(4) of the Solicitors Act 1974.

It is understood that this is the first time the SRA has sought such an order.