Former boss at celebrity law firm Schillings, 36, is struck off after he pocketed more than £13,500 from selling 95 of the company’s mobile phones
- Ex-head of operations Martin Flowers, 36, stole the handsets over five years
- Schillings only became aware after Vodafone flagged up ‘unusual activity’
- He admitted misconduct to his boss and resigned the same day in September
- The Solictors Regulation Authority fined him and disqualified him from industry
A former boss at a top celebrity law firm has been banned from working in the legal profession after pinching 95 company mobiles and selling them on for thousands of pounds.
Martin Flowers, 36, stole the handsets from London-based Schillings over five years and subsequently swelled his pockets to the tune of £13,547.
Schillings – whose previous clients include footballer Ryan Giggs, disgraced tycoon Sir Philip Green and author JK Rowling – only discovered their then head of operations’ underhand habits when Vodafone flagged up ‘unusual activity’ on the phones.
Martin Flowers, 36, stole 95 from London-based Schillings over five years and subsequently swelled his pockets to the tune of £13,547
When the firm confronted Flowers, of Dartford, Kent, last September he confessed to abusing his position of trust and resigned immediately.
But he was hauled before the Solictors Regulation Authority where admitted his dishonest conduct and breaching the regulator’s principles.
The SRA – the regulatory body for solicitors – fined him the £13,547 and disqualified him from working in the industry.
In mitigation, Flowers said that he had been in financial difficulties at the time and offered to pay back the money to Schillings, which the firm refused to accept.
Schillings are a renowned law firm whose previous clients include former footballer Ryan Giggs (right), disgraced tycoon Sir Philip Green and author JK Rowling (left)
In its judgment, the SRA said Flowers ‘abused his position of trust at the firm for personal gain’.
It said: ‘On 18 September 2018, Mr Flowers was interviewed by his line manager and the head of human resources and admitted to the events set out in the Vodafone report.
When the firm confronted Flowers, of Dartford, Kent, last September he confessed to abusing his position of trust and resigned immediately
‘Later that day, he resigned and the firm accepted his resignation.’
The SRA added: ‘Disqualification is a proportionate outcome in the public interest because it will prevent Mr Flowers from undertaking a similar role at another firm and helps maintain trust in the profession as a whole’.
It said the fine ‘signifies the seriousness with which the SRA treats the abuse of a position of trust’ and ‘takes away the financial benefit of the misconduct’.
Schillings declined to comment on the judgment.
Founded by Keith Schilling in 1984, media law firm Schillings has built a fearsome reputation acting for celebrity clients in high-profile divorce, libel and privacy cases.
Schillings set a trend for celebrities seeking gagging orders when it obtained a pioneering privacy injunction for model Naomi Campbell in 2004.
It went on to act for footballers Ryan Giggs and John Terry as they used controversial super-injunctions to try and prevent reporting of their sexual indiscretions.