Stephen
Stone
Employee
7237785
Decision - Employee-related decision
Outcome: Control of non-qualified staff (Section 43 / Section 99 order)
Outcome date: 4 July 2025
Published date: 18 July 2025
Firm details
Firm or organisation at time of matters giving rise to outcome
Name: Linklaters LLP
Address(es): One Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8HQ
Firm ID: 460682
Outcome details
This outcome was reached by SRA decision.
Decision details
Who does this decision relate to?
Stephen Stone whose last known address was in London. A person who is or was involved in a legal practice but is not a solicitor.
Summary of decision:
The SRA has put restrictions on where and how Mr Stone can work in an SRA regulated firm. It was found that: Mr Stone, who is not a solicitor, was involved in a legal practice and has occasioned or been a party to an act or default which involved such conduct on his part that it is undesirable for him to be involved in a legal practice in any of the ways described in the order below.
Reasons/basis
Mr Stone was employed by Linklaters Business Services ('LBS'), the service and employing company for Linklaters LLP, the recognised body for the purposes of providing legal services, as an Electrician between January 2007 to 6 April 2022. Between 1 August 2021 and 30 January 2022, Mr Stone claimed overtime from his employer for hours not worked on multiple occasions. Mr Stone's conduct was dishonest.
Other information
Decision on outcome:
An order pursuant to section 43(2) of the Solicitors Act 1974 was imposed as Mr Stone’s conduct meant that it was undesirable for him to be involved in a legal practice without the SRA’s prior approval. The order pursuant to section 43 was made with effect from the date of the letter or email notifying Mr Stone of this decision:
Mr Stone was also ordered to pay a proportion of the SRA’s costs of £600.
What our Section 43 order means
- no solicitor shall employ or remunerate him in connection with his/her practice as a solicitor;
- no employee of a solicitor shall employ or remunerate him in connection with the solicitor's practice;
- no recognised body shall employ or remunerate him;
- no manager or employee of a recognised body shall employ or remunerate him in connection with the business of that body;
- no recognised body or manager or employee of such a body shall permit him to be a manager of the body; and
- no recognised body or manager or employee of such a body shall permit him to have an interest in the body except in accordance with the SRA’s prior written permission