Junior solicitor struck off after leaving case papers on a train gets £11,000 crowdfunding boost for appeal

A junior solicitor who was struck off after lying about leaving case papers on a train has raised more than £11,000 for her fight to rejoin the profession.

Claire Matthews mislaid a locked briefcase containing the confidential papers when she fell asleep on the train ride home, and was struck off the professional roll in March this year.

Ms Matthews told a Solicitors' Disciplinary Tribunal she was “overcome by uncontrollable fear, anxiety and panic” when she realised her mistake, and had barely eaten, slept, or showered in the days afterwards.

She initially told a colleague at law firm Capsticks that the papers were at home before coming clean to her supervisor a week after losing the briefcase.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority brought a case against Ms Matthews, alleging dishonesty and harming the public’s trust in the profession, and the tribunal decided to strike her off.

Ms Matthews, who qualified in 2017 and had been at Capsticks’ Birmingham office for less than a month when the incident happened in May 2018, is now appealing against the decision at the High Court.

When the case came to light last month it raised concern in the legal profession about the treatment of junior solicitors, and law firm Leigh Day and a team of barristers have agreed to work pro-bono on her appeal. However Ms Matthews – now working in an NHS call centre - is crowdfunding £40,000 in case she loses the High Court fight.

More than £11,000 has been raised so far, and Ms Matthews said she is “overwhelmed by the number of kind messages and the amount of support I have received”.

“I feel very strongly that it is important that I continue with my appeal, to raise awareness of the impact of mental health within the profession”, she said. “However, the costs risks I am facing in order to do this will potentially be significant. Therefore, I am extremely grateful that others in the profession, and beyond, have been so kind and generous in supporting me.”