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NLJ this week: Patel guidance for convicted professionals

209431
It’s often a case of double trouble where regulated professionals face criminal charges because they also face professional disciplinary proceedings. In this week’s NLJ, Vanessa Reid, senior associate at Corker Binning, looks at a recent High Court decision, Patel, in which a dentist who caused death by careless driving received criminal sanctions and was also brought before the General Dental Council’s disciplinary committee.

As Reid writes, it is ‘open to a regulator to bring professional disciplinary proceedings based on the same alleged conduct even where a person is acquitted at their criminal trial. Equally, where a person is convicted and sentenced for a criminal offence, a regulator may bring separate disciplinary charges resulting in additional sanctions based on the same facts and evidence’.

Reid explores this area of law. She covers the useful guidance set out in Patel as well as other recent caselaw and practice. 

MOVERS & SHAKERS

National Pro Bono Centre—Esther McConnell & Sarah Oliver Scemla

National Pro Bono Centre—Esther McConnell & Sarah Oliver Scemla

Charity strengthens leadership as national Pro Bono Week takes place

Michelman Robinson—Akshay Sewlikar

Michelman Robinson—Akshay Sewlikar

Dual-qualified partner joins London disputes practice

McDermott Will & Schulte—Karen Butler

McDermott Will & Schulte—Karen Butler

Transactions practice welcomes partner in London office

NEWS
NLJ columnist Stephen Gold dives into the quirks of civil practice, from the Court of Appeal’s fierce defence of form N510 to fresh reminders about compliance and interest claims, in this week's Civil Way
Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB) has restated a fundamental truth, writes John Gould, chair of Russell-Cooke, in this week's NLJ: only authorised persons can conduct litigation. The decision sparked alarm, but Gould stresses it merely confirms the Legal Services Act 2007
The government’s decision to make the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) the Single Professional Services Supervisor marks a watershed in the UK’s fight against money laundering, says Rebecca Hughes of Corker Binning in this week's NLJ. The FCA will now oversee 60,000 firms across legal and accountancy sectors—a massive expansion of remit that raises questions over resources and readiness 
The High Court's decision in Parfitt v Jones [2025] EWHC 1552 (Ch) provided a striking reminder of the need to instruct the right expert in retrospective capacity assessments, says Ann Stanyer of Wedlake Bell in NLJ this week
Paige Coulter of Quinn Emanuel reports on the UK’s first statutory definition of SLAPPs under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023in NLJ this week
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