9 Jun 2017

9 June 2017

Oliver Zachary White will be unable to practise as a barrister in England and Wales for the next two years, because he has been ordered to be suspended by two separate independent disciplinary tribunals for a number of different failings in his practice.

The tribunals - one held yesterday and one held last month - have imposed five different suspension orders on Mr White. As most of these are to run at the same time, the total period that he will be unable to practise is two years.  

At yesterday's tribunal, Mr White received three different suspension orders, all to run alongside each other, as follows:

  • Two suspensions of 18-months each were ordered after Mr White carried out direct access work as a barrister in August 2015 when he was suspended from doing so by an earlier disciplinary tribunal; and
  • A further 6-months period of suspension was ordered due to Mr White's failure to cooperate with the BSB during their investigation.

The sentences imposed yesterday follow the decision of an earlier tribunal held on 4 May 2017 to impose two 12-month periods of suspension on Mr White following his failure to comply with a Legal Ombudsman order to reimburse client fees of £3000 plus VAT and his failure to cooperate with the BSB during that investigation. The tribunal on 4 May ordered the two 12-month periods of suspension to run one after the other, effectively barring Mr White from practice for two years.

Yesterday's tribunal ordered the latest suspensions to run at the same time to those imposed on 4 May.

Speaking about the latest tribunal finding, BSB Director of Professional Conduct Sara Jagger said: "Yesterday's decision shows that not complying with regulatory obligations, including decisions of independent tribunals, can have serious consequences. It diminishes the trust and confidence the public places in the profession and the tribunal's decision to impose lengthy suspensions on Mr White reflects the severity of these actions."

ENDS

Notes to editors

About Oliver Zachary White

Mr White was called to the Bar by Lincoln's Inn in November 2001.

About the Bar Standards Board

Our mission is to regulate barristers and specialised legal services businesses in England and Wales in the public interest. For more information about what we do visit: http://bit.ly/1gwui8t

About disciplinary tribunals

The appointment, operation, and decisions (including sentencing) of disciplinary tribunal panels are performed by the Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service (BTAS). BTAS is run independently of the Bar Standards Board - the barristers' regulator - which is responsible for bringing charges of professional misconduct against barristers. These charges are then adjudicated on by BTAS' tribunal panels.

Contact: For all media enquiries call: 0207 611 1452 or email[email protected].

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