Alvin Just, a Christian lawyer, has been fired for serious misconduct after sending ‘inappropriate and unprofessional’ emails to barrister Philip Noble following a will dispute at Central London County Court in 2017.
Just sent biblical curses via email to Noble, warning him of plagues and suggesting he was one step closer to his grave. He also called Noble a ‘Grade 7 bully’ and compared him to Pharaoh. Additionally, Just sent messages to Noble’s client, warning them of judgment to come.
Just, a partner at Just & Brown Solicitors in London, was hauled before a disciplinary tribunal following concerns over the emails. In his defense, Just argued that the comments were not inappropriate and that Noble had a ‘serious vendetta’ against him.
He also claimed that quoting Bible passages was not a breach of his duties and that to be accused in relation to them was a breach of his own human rights.
However, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal stressed that solicitors should be robust but temperate in the language they used when communicating with the other side, especially when communicating with a lay client.
The tribunal found that Just had failed to maintain the trust the public placed in him by communicating in the way that he did. Although the tribunal considered Just’s expression of ‘frustration and annoyance’ with Noble inappropriate, they did not find his comments to be offensive or threatening.
The tribunal also considered allegations against Just in relation to his handling of a case involving a will and his response to the SRA’s investigation into him.
The tribunal found that Just had failed to ensure a client’s money was kept separate in a special ‘client account’ and that he had deliberately withheld information and misled the SRA in a number of material matters.
The tribunal concluded that the only appropriate and proportionate sanction given the seriousness of Just’s conduct was to strike him off the Roll of Solicitors. He was also ordered to pay costs of £41,896.20.
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