A central part of the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA’s) conflicts case against Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer was torpedoed in May, it emerged last week, following a three-year process that ended in a £59,000 penalty for former head of corporate Barry O’Brien.
At the Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT), O’Brien admitted charges that he acted against the best interests of client Marks and Spencer (M&S) and to bringing the profession into disrepute. He was fined £9,000 out of a maximum of £10,000 plus the SRA’s £50,000 costs and apologised for what he called a “bona fide” error of judgement.
