Celebrated solicitor struck off

An award-winning lawyer has been struck off after admitting a series of breaches of professional conduct.

Bushra Anwar, one of the few Asian women in the UK to run her own practice, received the Award of Merit at the North West Womens’ Achievement ceremony and was described as “a valued member of the Blackburn community”.

Anwar admitted to being fined for contempt of court, employing a struck-off solicitor, making a false statement to her bank and two internal accounting irregularities, each totalling over u10,000.

The Lawyer understands Anwar will appeal the ruling to the divisional court.

Irwin Mitchell’s Andrew Lockley, who acted for Anwar, told the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal in London that she accepted she had acted with “stupid childishness”.

But he presented a letter from an unnamed Manchester QC who wrote that her work was viewed as “very valuable to the Asian community”. There was no suggestion the book-keeping irregularities had defrauded clients, he added.