Ex-Freshfields partner wins High Court appeal against misconduct finding

In a landmark case on regulatory overreach, Alisdair Williamson QC has successfully overturned in the High Court, the SDT’s decision that during a sexual encounter Mr Beckwith had breached Principles 2 and 6 of the 2011 Principles of Conduct for Solicitors. The case requires the SRA to confine itself to the purposes of regulatory oversight as defined in the Legal Services Act and warns against the creation of rules that extend ever further into private life untrammelled by those purposes. In a decision which will have wide-ranging effect, the case also provides further guidance on the meaning of ‘integrity’ and ‘the maintenance of public trust’ in professional regulation.

Alisdair Williamson QC represented Mr Beckwith throughout his proceedings.

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27th November 2020