THE director of a Bradford law firm has been fined £2,000 for failing to keep up-to-date accounts.

Brendan Casey, who was manager of BMC Law, based at Listerhills Science Park, in the Listerhills area of the city, was sanctioned by the Solicitors Regulation Agency (SRA) after it emerged an employee had diverted thousands of pounds into his own account.

In its decision, the SRA said: “On January 25 2018, Mr Casey reported to the SRA that he had concerns about the conduct of an unadmitted fee-earner at the Firm, Mr L.

“The report to the SRA stated that a “routine check of settled files” had revealed that monies due to the firm’s accounts had, instead, been paid to Mr L’s private bank account by means of internet transfer. In each instance, the paying party had confirmed the details of the transfers.

“On February 10 2018, Mr Casey provided a further report to the SRA. He detailed six matters in which a total of £24,475.19 of clients’ monies had been misappropriated.

“He stated that Mr L was responsible for this and that in each instance the details of the transaction had been confirmed by the paying party.

“Mr Casey also reported that Mr L had misappropriated £7,190 of office money.

“Mr Casey provided details of steps he had taken to address matters, including repaying the sums concerned, instructing compliance consultants and reporting the matter to the police.”

An investigation found the firm’s accounts were not up-to-date. An external bookkeeper said she had been retained by BMC in September 2017.

“She explained that the previous bookkeeper, had left the firm in June 2017 and the books had not been maintained in their entirety since that time,” said the SRA decision.

It added that a failure to produce up-to-date accounts meant that when 'Mr L' provided his own bank details to third parties, Mr Casey was unable to ascertain that the funds had been diverted.

He said the rogue employee had used a “degree of sophistication” and while he had tried to cover his tracks, was ultimately discovered when an external bookkeeper was taken on.

Mr Casey did not neglect the situation but alerted both the SRA and police immediately “providing a personal guarantee in order to replace client funds at his own expense”.

As well as being fined, he also agreed to pay £600 costs and agreed not to act as compliance officer for any firm, nor to act as a sole practitioner or to hold, receive or have access to client money.