Solicitor suspended for a year after overcharging client with bill for £2.9m
A solicitor has been banned from practicing for a year and ordered to pay costs amounting to £41,400, after a tribunal said he had tried to overcharge his client after asking more than £2.9m for his services.
The tribunal said Nabeel Amer Sheikh had failed to act with “integrity” as it claimed the solicitor had behaved in a way “that is likely to diminish trust” in the legal profession, after he asked his client to pay a sum of £2,916,396 plus VAT.
The tribunal said the £2.9m bill did not reflect work “actually undertaken” by Sheikh’s firm, while he was defending his client against eight criminal charges.
In launching its case against the lawyer, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) said Sheikh had attempted to defraud his client, after it was made clear that his clients legal bills would be paid for out of public coffers.
Lawyers acting on behalf of the SRA accused Sheikh of billing his client for a “huge” number of additional hours.
Sheikh denied the allegations as he claimed that he not acted dishonestly. Instead, the solicitor said he had overcharged his client due to poor record keeping.
The tribunal said it could not rule out innocent explanations for Sheikh’s behaviour, in finding that he did not act dishonestly.
However, the tribunal said Sheikh actions fell below the ethical standards of the profession.