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Statement from the partners at Leigh Day regarding the SDT hearing

We contest all the allegations made against us and will be defending ourselves vigorously at the Tribunal hearing which begins on Monday 24th April 2017.

Posted on 24 April 2017

Leigh Day and three of our solicitors face charges before the Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal following allegations brought by the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority (SRA).

We contest all the allegations made against us and will be defending ourselves vigorously at the Tribunal hearing which begins on Monday 24th April 2017.

The allegations against us stem from  matters where we acted on behalf of Iraqi citizens who sought compensation from the Ministry of Defence because they alleged  that they, or members of their families, were unlawfully detained, injured or killed by British Forces in Iraq.

The case against us primarily relates to allegations that were made by Iraqis regarding an incident in May 2004 known as ‘the battle of Danny Boy’, where ultimately a public inquiry found that many of the allegations were untrue.

We believe that it is essential for our democracy that lawyers can bring claims before our Courts, whether on behalf of service personnel or civilians, against the Ministry of Defence or any other Government entity. 

Some of them may succeed (indeed, so far, the Ministry of Defence has settled over 300 of these claims, including where Iraqis died whilst under the custody or control of our Army) and some may fail. 

That does not detract from the principle that lawyers should be able to bring cases before our Courts without fear of recrimination or reprisals.

We are a firm of over 400 professionals who remain committed to assisting individuals seeking to uphold their rights through our wide range of specialist legal teams.