Betty Igwebike Forde, a solicitor labelled as “manifestly incompetent,” has been struck off following serious allegations of misconduct involving false legal aid claims and chaotic firm accounts.
Betty Igwebike Forde, who qualified in 2013, managed her law firm Anchor Legal in East London from December 2018 until its closure in July 2023 by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). The firm was shut down due to a referral from the Legal Aid Agency (LAA), primarily because of concerns regarding the quality of work and unsubstantiated claims for work allegedly completed by the firm. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) found Ms Forde operating with a blatant disregard for legal financial regulations.
The allegations centred on false claims to the LAA, with an audit of five files revealing insufficient evidence to support the firm’s submissions. This was supported by records from the West London NHS Trust. Ms Forde’s attempts to justify these claims by blaming a qualified supervisor were deemed unconvincing by the SDT, as she was ultimately responsible for ensuring the validity of all claims. The SDT noted that if she had genuinely reviewed the files, inconsistencies in attendances should have been evident.
Further investigations uncovered multiple serious breaches of the SRA accounts rules, including the intermingling of client and office funds, failure to maintain a central record of billing, and inadequate tracking of client payments. There were also discrepancies noted in personal injury cases, where payments recorded as disbursements did not always match actual client receipts.
The SDT highlighted the “blatant and egregious” nature of these breaches, emphasising Ms Forde’s complete disregard for necessary legal financial protocols. Consequently, the Tribunal decided that Ms Forde’s name should be removed from the list of practising solicitors. Additionally, the SDT ordered her to cover the SRA’s legal costs amounting to £65,000, a figure exacerbated by her lack of cooperation during the proceedings.
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal’s decision to strike off Betty Igwebike Forde serves as a significant reminder of the importance of adhering to legal standards and regulations within the profession. It highlights the critical role of accountability and transparency in maintaining public trust and ensuring the integrity of legal practices. This case underscores the consequences of incompetence and the necessity for practitioners to perform due diligence in all legal and financial matters.
