Hogan Lovells dismisses senior litigator over £1m of false expenses
Hogan Lovells senior litigator Christopher Grierson has been dismissed from the partnership after claiming over £1m in false expenses over the course of four years.
Following an internal investigation that was set in motion at the beginning of this year, Grierson was dismissed last week and has now been reported to the SRA.
Partners were informed over the weekend while the rest of the firm was told of Grierson’s dismissal yesterday.
A spokesperson at the firm said that Grierson had co-operated fully with the firm’s inquiries and has agreed to repay the full £1m within 14 days.
The spokesperson added: “An investigation carried out by the firm has revealed that no clients were affected as a result of Christopher’s actions.
“Christopher acted entirely on his own. He was a long-standing partner in the firm and highly regarded. We’re very saddened and concerned by these events, which represent a major breach of trust.
“We’re very clear as to our professional responsibilities as solicitors and we’ve promptly taken the appropriate action.”
Grierson, who is in his late fifties and who was on legacy firm Lovells’ partnership council from 2006 to April 2009, is a distinguished international litigator. His recent cases have included advising AAR, the consortium made up of Russian conglomerates Alfaa Group, Access Industries and Renova Group, on its dispute on the TNK-BP energy venture in Russia.
He is best known for having advised BCCI liquidators Deloitte & Touche for over a decade. That work came to an end after Deloitte’s controversial £850m claim against the Bank of England sensationally collapsed in November 2005 (7 November 2005).
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Readers' comments (95)
Public Schoolboy - what has this world come to? | 19-May-2011 7:56 am
Look at all these peasants taking a swipe at their betters. Simply atrocious.
By railing and ranting about "public schoolboy mentality", you only serve to debase your own morality by proclaiming the fact that you could not go to a proper school.
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anon | 19-May-2011 9:56 am
HL - report to the police, or every other member of staff will know that the worst they will get for doing the same is an interest free loan.
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Anonymous | 19-May-2011 10:16 am
A gentleman??? Ask the 94 people made redundant by Lovells in the last few years if they think he's a gentleman? I wonder how many jobs could have been saved with the money he stole!!!
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Anonymous | 19-May-2011 11:08 am
That the SRA applies double standards to large and small firms (a small 2 partner firm would indeed be shut down by the SRA over this and the innocent partner would probably also be reported to the SDT for not preventing the fraud) is mainly due to their vested interest as the SRA is dependent on the large firms for their funds (and does not of care if a lot of small firms get shut down as that has virtually no impact on their funding but at that at least makes them look tough as a regulator etc.).
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Having Doubts | 19-May-2011 12:31 pm
I wonder how many legacy Hogan partners are now questioning their choice of bedfellow?
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Anonymous | 19-May-2011 12:49 pm
Also consider the income tax evasion element here. Chrissie has boosted his annual takehome by roughly an equivalent of £500K before tax for the last 4 years. So even adding that to bottom estimate of £600 PEP and we are up to £1.1M which is on a par with the big boys in those horrid grasping ass-kicking US based outfits. Nice work squirrel.
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Kim Philby | 19-May-2011 1:35 pm
Presumbably this has tax implications?
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Interested Observer | 19-May-2011 3:49 pm
Tax is not levied on money that is stolen. This is for the simple reason that other people's property cannot be your income.
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Anonymous | 19-May-2011 4:25 pm
No theft if he believed he had a right to the money (this negatives mens rea if you want to get technical). If, as HL's reaction seems to indicate, this was a huge and idiotic error in claiming something he shouldn't have done rather than a calculated swindle then it IS a civil matter only.
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Anonymous | 19-May-2011 5:05 pm
Pretty sure we just saw him at Costa. Can't believe that they trained him up so fast. He's making a mean flat white. Way to go Chris. 3,652,992 shifts to go in the coming 12 days and you'll be all square with HL again.
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