James Lochhead
Employee
7176215

Decision - Employee-related decision

Outcome: Control of non-qualified staff (Section 43 / Section 99 order)

Outcome date: 4 July 2025

Published date: 18 July 2025

Firm details

Firm or organisation at date of publication and at time of matters giving rise to outcome

Name: Linklaters LLP

Address(es): One Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8HQ

Firm ID: 460682

Outcome details

This outcome was reached by SRA decision.

Decision details

Who does this decision relate to?

James Lochhead whose last known address was in London. A person who is or was involved in a legal practice but is not a solicitor.

Summary of decision:

The SRA has put restrictions on where and how Mr Lochhead can work in an SRA regulated firm. It was found that: Mr Lochhead, who is not a solicitor, is involved in a legal practice and has occasioned or been a party to an act or default which involved such conduct on his part that it is undesirable for him to be involved in a legal practice in any of the ways described in the order below.

Reasons/basis

The facts of the case:

Mr Lochhead was employed by Linklaters Business Services (“LBS”), the service and employing company for Linklaters LLP, the recognised body for the purposes of providing legal services, as a Space Planner, from 2016. Mr Lochhead is still employed in this role. Between 1 August 2021 and 30 January 2022, Mr Lochhead claimed overtime from his employer for hours not worked on multiple occasions. Mr Lochhead’s conduct was dishonest.

Other information

Decision on outcome:

An order pursuant to section 43(2) of the Solicitors Act 1974 was imposed as Mr Lochhead's conduct meant that it was undesirable for him to be involved in a legal practice without the SRA's prior approval. The order pursuant to section 43 was made with effect from the date of the letter or email notifying Mr Lochhead of this decision. Mr Lochhead was also ordered to pay a proportion of the SRA's costs of £600.

What our Section 43 order means

1. no solicitor shall employ or remunerate him in connection with his/her practice as a solicitor;
2. no employee of a solicitor shall employ or remunerate him in connection with the solicitor's practice;
3. no recognised body shall employ or remunerate him;
4. no manager or employee of a recognised body shall employ or remunerate him in connection with the business of that body;
5. no recognised body or manager or employee of such a body shall permit him to be a manager of the body; and
6. no recognised body or manager or employee of such a body shall permit him to have an interest in the body except in accordance with the SRA's prior written permission.