Paralegal Faces Professional Ban After Email Deception

A paralegal at a prominent Exeter law firm has been barred from the legal profession after attempting to conceal her failure to send critical trademark renewal reminders to clients. Phoebe Bird, who worked at Ashfords LLP for two and a half years, admitted to acting dishonestly by fabricating email evidence to cover up her oversight. The misconduct came to light during a routine client file review when the firm discovered irregularities in an email chain saved by Bird.

A subsequent internal investigation by the IT department confirmed that no reminder emails had actually been sent to clients regarding their trademark renewals. Bird later confessed to altering draft emails to create the appearance of having sent them and deliberately placing false records on client files to mislead both colleagues and supervisors.

While the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) acknowledged Bird's remorse and noted that no clients were ultimately harmed, they emphasized that her actions "diminishes the public's trust and confidence in those who are involved in and responsible for the safe delivery of legal services." The regulator issued a section 43 notice, effectively barring Bird from working at any SRA-regulated entity, and ordered her to pay £300 in costs.
Source: Law Gazette, 2025