We were shocked to read that a solicitor has been struck off recently (he wasn’t one of ours, you’ll be happy to know).

Robert Foster was a solicitor in North Yorkshire who specialised in wills. Here’s what he did wrong.

In 2010, Richard prepared an Enduring Power of Attorney document for his client and backdated it to 2003. Why? Because the law changed in 2007 when EPAs were replaced by Lasting Powers of Attorney. When he told his elderly client the fee for an LPA, she winced, so he thought he would help her.

The Solicitors’ Regulation Authority started an investigation into the situation in 2016. The Tribunal has now decided that, although his behaviour was altruistic and a one-off, it was misguided as he had affected the client’s estate and caused harm to the reputation of the profession.

As well as being unable to continue working as a solicitor after 41 years, Richard will have to pay costs totalling nearly £8,000.

He says he was being “too kind”. We like to think we’re kind and helpful too, but you’ll be reassured to know we would never do anything illegal!

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