A former sub-postmaster has spoken to The Lawyer about his treatment at the hands of various lawyers involved in the Post Office Horizon IT scandal. Many sub-postmasters were prosecuted or left financially destitute after the faulty Horizon IT system, created by Japanese company Fujitsu, produced incorrect shortfalls on their accounts, which the Post Office would then force […]
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) chief, Paul Philip, has vowed serious consequences for any solicitors who have behaved unethically in relation to the Post Office Horizon IT scandal. Lawyers have come under renewed scrutiny since the ITV drama Mr Bates v the Post Office sparked widespread public interest in the plight of thousands of sub-postmasters at the […]
“All the meetings with MPs, letters to the Minister, more Ministers than you can shake a stick at, years and years – still no one in power hears a word we say”. These were the words of Alan Bates on 31 December 2018, as he watched the former CEO of the Post Office honoured with […]
The Lawyer Podcast is back for 2024 and we’re kicking things off by delving into the lessons the legal profession can glean from the Post Office scandal. The Post Office scandal has already become one of the biggest stories of the year and few groups are so closely tied to it as the legal profession. […]
The Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry will hear from current and former Fujitsu employees this week to examine Fujitsu’s role in supporting the criminal prosecutions of sub-postmasters. William Paul Patterson, the director for the technology company’s UK and Ireland division, Fujitsu Services Limited, will appear on Friday. On Tuesday, Rajbinder Sangha, a former member of Fujitsu’s […]
Womble Bond Dickinson has declined to say whether it has confidence in the partners who conducted the litigation for the Post Office. Its lawyers have come under renewed scrutiny since the ITV drama Mr Bates v the Post Office sparked widespread public interest in the plight of thousands of sub-postmasters at the hands of the Post […]
As the nation grapples with the aftermath of ITV’s portrayal of the Post Office scandal in its drama titled Mr Bates v the Post Office, The Lawyer has created a comprehensive guide comprising the myriad City law firms that have been, and continue to be, intricately involved in the high-profile scandal. Freeths Partner James Hartley brought […]
The lawyer who represented 555 sub-postmasters in the group litigation against the Post Office, Freeths partner James Hartley, has said there needs to be consequences for any lawyers that are found to have stepped over “the professional conduct red line”. The ITV drama Mr Bates v the Post Office, titled after the group litigation of the […]
A partner from Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) was quizzed today as part of the Post Office Horizon Inquiry, specifically over the firm’s document review processes. The inquiry, heard before Sir Wyn Williams, is scrutinising what could be described as one of the most widespread miscarriages of justice in British legal history, which resulted in the […]
HSF will long be associated with the Post Office Horizon IT scandal
The Post Office’s general counsel appeared today in an urgent evidence session after it emerged the company failed to disclose ‘identification coding’ documents that included racist and offensive language to the inquiry. The inquiry, heard before Sir Wyn Williams, is scrutinising what could be described as one of the most widespread miscarriages of justice in […]
The Post Office has appointed new legal advisers as it continues to face questions over the implementation and failings of its Horizon IT system. Herbert Smith Freehills has been acting for the Post Office in the Horizon IT inquiry, but the firm is set to be replaced by Burges Salmon after a tender exercise. Burges […]