Reprimand for law partner over letters mix-up

A partner in a top Rochdale law firm has been reprimanded at a tribunal because he was too embarrassed to deal with letters from his regulatory authority.

The Solicitors Regulatory Authority wrote to Peter Rhodes, 58, of Molesworth, Bright, Clegg solicitors, on three seperate occasions and sent one letter to his partners requesting information after Mr Rhodes had failed to provide details of his company's insurers to another firm following a negligence claim.

The firm had written to the Yorkshire Street solicitors three times in 2006, without receiving a response, before contacting the SRA.

Mr Rhodes later wrote to the SRA accepting full responsibility for the mistake. He said that work pressures had caused him to put the letters to one side and forget about them. He felt embarrassed about the situation and found it increasingly difficult to deal with the problem.

Mr Rhodes offered to resign but his partners refused his letter of resignation.

Molesworth, Bright, Clegg has since lessened Mr Rhodes' workload and the tribunal ruled that he had acted honourably throughout the proceedings.

He was ordered to pay £1,500 in costs.