PARTNERS at a York law firm have been fined £10,000 after a tribunal found they had broken the solicitors’ code of conduct.

The ten partners of Harrowells, in St Saviourgate, York, were also ordered to pay £24,000 in costs.

They were brought before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) following a routine inspection of the firm by the Law Society in 2005.

The inspection found that during an 18-month period from 2004-5 the firm had acted for the buyer, seller and lender in 157 property transactions without obtaining their written consent.

It also found they had provided misleading cost information and provided inadequate information about the nature and use of commission payments.

But the report from the tribunal, which was published this week, said the breaches were “not flagrant” and were “inadvertent”.

It read: “The tribunal recognised that the respondents were members of a reputable firm, long-established and highly thought of, that provided a good service to the community in which it conducted its business.

“The tribunal gave the respondents credit for putting matters right and for taking steps to ensure that such breaches would not occur again within the firm.

“The tribunal was asked to give the respondents credit for the manner in which they dealt with the inspection and enquiry.

“They had been entirely cooperative and had provided explanations promptly.”

Robert Onyett, managing partner of Harrowells, said that where the firm had acted for both the buyer and seller in a property transaction, they had always asked for consent, but in some cases, had not included a written record of this in the relevant file.

He said: “We welcomed the recommendations for improvement when they were made in 2005 and we immediately reviewed and strengthened our internal procedures.

“The SDT very clearly acknowledged the positive reputation of our firm locally and the fact that the breaches of certain technical regulations, which occurred over four years ago, were inadvertent.

“It is also important to emphasise that no client has been disadvantaged in any way whatsoever.

“I am pleased to report that no issues have been raised in subsequent regulatory inspections.”

He added: “Those who were equity partners at the time of the 2005 inspection have each been fined £1,000 by the SDT.

“However, these fines are nominal when set in the context of what can be imposed and reflect the relatively minor and technical nature of the breaches.”