Last week an unemployed man who pretended to be a solicitor to try to get a £19,000 tax debt cancelled was jailed. Nicholas Moss, 51, claimed that he worked for a pro bono organisation known as Community Law Project (CLP) and forged Court documentation in order to cancel the sum that was due to be paid by his third party client.
Last Friday Moss was handed an 18 month prison sentence for forging a County Court Judgment and a further six months for impersonating a solicitor, to run concurrently. The presiding judge/recorder Mr Sells QC also applied an additional four-month suspended sentence for a previous conviction given to Mr Moss for giving immigration advice when not authorised to do so.
Whilst many individuals may choose to represent themselves in Court proceedings, clearly suggesting that you are a Solicitor when you are not is a matter which is hugely frowned upon by the authorities. There are many instances where you may be able to represent yourself at Court however at some hearings within the High Court for example, Rights of Audience are required in order to appear before a Judge. This means that you may need to be represented by an officer of the Court such as a Solicitor or a Barrister.
If you have any queries in relation to any litigation matter or seek advice regarding representation please contact our Litigation department and ask for Lynn Gooch or Richard Gordon who between them have 25 years of litigation experience and will be happy to assist you.