Aminta Sherine Silva
Solicitor
164717

Decision - Sanction

Outcome: Rebuke

Outcome date: 25 February 2025

Published date: 16 April 2025

Firm details

Firm or organisation at time of matters giving rise to outcome

Name: Hodders Law Ltd

Address(es): 50 Station Road, Harlesden, LONDON, NW10 4UA, England

Firm ID: 554857

Firm or organisation at date of publication

Name: Name Premier Solicitors (Bedford) Ltd (1) and Taylor Rose Limited (2)

Address(es): Premier House, Lurke Street, BEDFORD, MK40 3HU, England (1) and 69 Carter Lane, London, EC4V 5EQ, England (2)

Firm ID: 668813 (1) and 623604 (2)

Outcome details

This outcome was reached by SRA decision.

Decision details

Rebuke and costs

Reasons/basis

Ms Silva is a solicitor, currently working at Premier Solicitors (Bedford) Ltd and Taylor Rose Limited, which are both regulated bodies.

At the time of the misconduct detailed below, Ms Silva was a director at Hodders Law Limited (the firm), a recognised body.

Short summary of decision

We have issued Ms Silva with a rebuke for breaches of the SRA Accounts Rules and an order Ms Silva to pay £1,350 in costs.

On 3 August 2023, a forensic investigation officer (FIO) at the SRA produced a forensic investigation report (FIR). The FIR identified that:

1. On 23 September 2022, the firm had 408 client ledgers (holding a combined total of £351,141.12) where there had been no transactions on the ledger since 31 December 2019, at the latest.
2. As at 23 September 2022, the firm had five client account suspense ledgers holding a total of £578,336.90. This amount had been reduced to £21,115.22 by the date of the FIR.

Facts of the misconduct

It was found that: Ms Silva failed to ensure that client money was returned promptly to clients as soon as there was no longer any proper reason to hold those funds. In doing so, Ms Silva breached rule 2.5 of the SRA Accounts Rules 2019. Ms Silva failed to ensure that the firm kept and maintained accurate, contemporaneous, and chronological records to record in client ledgers (identified by the client's name and an appropriate description of the matter to which they relate) all receipts and payments which were client money on the client side of the client ledger account.

In doing so, Ms Silva breached Rule 8.1(a)(i) of the SRA Accounts Rules 2019. Decision on sanction It was decided that a rebuke was an appropriate and proportionate sanction. This was because Ms Silva’s conduct was serious by reference to the following factors in the SRA Enforcement Strategy:

1. There was an underlying concern in the public interest – namely that a solicitor’s stewardship of the public’s money should be beyond reproach.
2. Ms Silva’s actions had the potential to cause harm.

A more serious sanction was not considered to be proportionate by reference to the following factors in the Enforcement Strategy:

1. There was no evidence that client money had been misappropriated, and no shortage on the firm’s client account.
2. There were no allegations of dishonesty or lack of integrity and Ms Silva had not acted intentionally or recklessly in breach of her regulatory obligations.

SRA Accounts Rules breached

Rule 2.5 You ensure that client money is returned promptly to the client, or the third party for whom the money is held, as soon as there is no longer any proper reason to hold those funds.

Rule 8.1 You keep and maintain accurate, contemporaneous, and chronological records to:

(a) record in client ledgers identified by the client's name and an appropriate description of the matter to which they relate: 

(i) all receipts and payments which are client money on the client side of the client ledger account