A solicitor who employed a will writer banned by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) from working for law firms without its permission has been suspended for a month.

The SRA said Oliver James Saxon employed Ben Moore after the SRA had imposed a section 43 order on him for accepting a £20,000 gift from an elderly client, without telling the law firm he was working for or advising the client to obtain independent legal advice.

A section 43 order means the person cannot work for an SRA-regulated firm without the regulator’s permission.

In an agreed outcome with Mr Saxon, approved by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, the solicitor also admitted failing to provide accurate information on an application form he submitted in July 2021 seeking the SRA’s permission to employ Mr Moore.

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