Opus Law are delighted to report that they were able to obtain a favourable judgment following a disciplinary hearing before the tribunal of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA).
We represented ‘X’ a Fellow of the Association, who was admitted as a Member of ACCA in 1993 and had a previously unblemished disciplinary record. X faced a disciplinary charge of misconduct following his conviction for a criminal offence.
ACCA rules prescribe that any member who is convicted of a criminal offence is automatically guilty of misconduct. An investigation into the misconduct was launched in late 2010. Opus Law put together a comprehensive bundle of documents to assist the tribunal, dealt with all enquiries put forward by the Association, ensured that our costs could be met from X’s indemnity insurance and arranged for X to appear by video link at the proceedings, leaving him free to carry on important business in Dubai.
Ian Anderson of Opus Law attended personally on behalf of X to advance mitigation at the hearing, assisted by David Young of 9 Bedford Row Chambers.
The defence team successfully mitigated to the extent that X received a formal reprimand from the disciplinary panel. Vitally, X kept his practicing certificate. We understand that the decision of the tribunal not to suspend or exclude the member from practice was the first outcome of its kind since 2007.
In our experience, many professionals do not seek assistance in relation to disciplinary proceedings either through a lack of understanding that they can have a lawyer present, a feeling of shame that they are before their disciplinary body or worry that the fees will be extortionate. Anecdotal evidence from the case presenting officer appointed by ACCA suggested that up to 80% of individuals before the disciplinary tribunal appeared without legal representation.
At Opus Law we can help any person facing proceedings before a regulatory body. We will explore all funding options and deal with the stress and pressure such proceedings can bring, leaving you free to concentrate on what really matters; running your business. To speak to a lawyer about regulatory and disciplinary representation please contact the telephone number on this website. All calls are confidential.
Case represented by the Opus Law team.