A lawyer who falsely claimed to work up to 28 hours a day to qualify for a large bonus has been struck off the roll of solicitors.
Samina Ahmed, employed at Tuckers Solicitors for 17 years, was found to have repeatedly falsified her timesheets. An investigation revealed that over a 12-month period, she recorded 7,511.7 working hours across 266 days, with 133 of those days exceeding 24 hours.
The misconduct, uncovered in 2024, was linked to the firm’s bonus system, which rewarded exceptionally high billable hours with bonuses of up to 400% of salary. Ahmed’s inflated records were aimed at securing the highest bonus tier, potentially earning her nearly £70,000. No bonus was paid after the irregularities were discovered.
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal found that Ahmed continued to falsify records even after being warned during a staff meeting. Much of her work involved prison clients funded by legal aid, meaning the claimed hours were covered by the publicly funded Legal Aid Agency. As a result, Tuckers Solicitors had to repay £98,093 to the agency.
The tribunal ruled that Ahmed had “acted dishonestly and without integrity,” constituting a serious breach of trust both financially and professionally. It emphasized that the misconduct and the harm caused to public confidence in the legal profession justified the harshest sanction.
Ahmed was struck off the roll and ordered to pay £5,000 in costs, reduced from £49,600 due to her financial circumstances. She told the panel that she now works in lower-paid roles, including retail jobs and an apprenticeship with Wigan Council, while supporting three children as a single parent and receiving universal credit and child benefit.
While acknowledging her limited means, the tribunal noted that a reduced costs order was still appropriate, emphasizing that her actions had undermined public trust in the legal profession.
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