Ex Hogan Lovells partner Grierson faces four charges of false accounting

Grierson was dismissed in May (17 May 2011) following an internal investigation that found he had falsely claimed £1m over the course of four years.

Although the firm referred Grierson to the SRA following his dismissal, it took a further fortnight before it also reported him to the police (3 June 2011).

Grierson was arrested and bailed on 7 June. A spokesperson for the City of London police confirmed today (5 December) that Grierson had now been charged. He has been bailed and is due to appear before the City of London Magistrates Court on 9 January 2012.

The Grierson case was followed by revelations that two other City partners, Mark Gilbert, formerly of Addleshaw Goddard (30 May 2011), and Ince & Co’s Andrew Iyer (27 May 2011) had also been accused of financial irregularities.

Both are under investigation by the SRA, while Ince referred Iyer, who was originally suspended in July 2010 (30 July 2010) to the Metropolitan Police. A spokesman for Scotland Yard said enquiries were ongoing.

An SRA spokesperson said: “We are progressing with our investigation, working with the firm and liaising with the police to ensure that we proceed appropriately with these matters. We are unable to provide detailed comment about our investigations as they need to remain confidential, but all parties are cooperating in this matter.”

Hogan Lovells declined to comment.