Law firm closed down and its senior partner barred by industry regulators

A Westcountry law firm has been closed down and its senior partner banned from being a solicitor – because he was suspected of “dishonesty” and breaking solicitors’ rules.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) confirmed it had “intervened” into the practice of 70-year-old Ray Toms, the only director at Goldbergs Solicitors, in Ford Park Road, Mutley, Plymouth.

That means it held an investigation which resulted in the SRA closing down the practice, one of the oldest in Plymouth.

The SRA said it did this because it had “reason to suspect dishonesty on the part of Mr Toms and his failure to comply with SRA rules”. The practising certificate of Mr Toms has been automatically suspended, so he cannot practice as a solicitor.

The SRA will now investigate further into the issues that have led to the shut down to see if any additional action is necessary.

“At this stage of the SRA’s work, no further details can be disclosed,” a spokesman said. But if any evidence of criminality is found the SRA will pass this to police.

“It is only if further action become necessary that any information is released into the public domain,” the spokesman said.

“There is no timescale for how long this work will take. Further action against solicitors could be a sanction carried out by the SRA, and could be as severe as a reprimand or a £2,000 fine.

“If it is decided that a stiffer punishment is required, the SRA will prosecute the matter at the independent Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal [SDT].

“The SDT can levy unlimited fines and prevent solicitors from working either by sus- pending them or removing them from the profession altogether.”

The spokesman said the intervention meant the SRA had closed the firm with immediate effect.

“It will stop the firm from operating, take possession of all documents and papers held by the firm, and take possession of all money held by the firm, including clients’ money,” he said.

“It is not responsible towards employees or trade creditors of firms that it has intervened in, however.”

The SRA, the body responsible for overseeing the professional conduct of more than 125,000 UK solicitors, has appointed an agent to deal with all matters currently held by Goldbergs Solicitors.

The agent will assess all ongoing matters and deal with those of greatest need first.

The SRA’s archive team will take control of all documents held by the firm. Mr Toms could not be contacted for comment and is believed to be living abroad.

Goldbergs Solicitors shut its Mutley headquarters and took down its website without warning on Sunday, September 30.

The date is significant because, under law, legal firms that are not able to secure professional indemnity insurance by the start of October only have 90 days to do so – or must cease practice.

‘No timescale for how long this work will take’

Solicitors Regulation Authority