A former Addleshaw Goddard partner has become the latest in a line of City partners to hit the headlines over alleged financial discrepancies.
Mark Gilbert, a real estate lawyer, quit Addleshaws on 10 May under something of an expenses-related cloud. He denies any wrong-doing, but this hasn't stopped the firm from calling in the Solicitors Regulation Authority and releasing a statement that he "resigned from the business after an internal investigation discovered apparent discrepancies relating to expenses and disbursements".
Happily for Gilbert he is still in gainful employment having started as a consultant at Devonshires the same day he quit. Presumably Devonshires was able to satisfy itself that Gilbert has no case to answer - although no one knows as the firm is refusing to comment.
The news is the latest in a line of expenses problems for City firms. The godfather of dodgy claims remains Hogan Lovells' Chris Grierson, the respected senior litigator who admitted fiddling the firm out of £1m in false expenses. He was speedily shunted out of the firm earlier this month and was given 14 days to pay back the sum in full. A deadline which was then extended until today, to give him a little longer to search his attic for Ming vases or hidden Picassos.
Capping off this unhappy triumvirate is former Ince global energy head Andrew Iyer. RollOnFriday reported Iyer's suspension from the firm for "irregular financial behaviour" in July last year, and he is now under investigation by both the SRA and the Met, after allegations that over £3m of clients' money had been moved into accounts under his control. Iyer's side line as a crime novelist and penchant for dating daughters of the rich and famous seems set to guarantee his place in the headlines for a while yet.
Whether or not Iyer and Gilbert are ultimately found to have engaged in any wrong-doing, it's certainly not been the greatest couple of weeks for the image of City partners who may soon find themselves as popular as MPs.
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Mark Gilbert, a real estate lawyer, quit Addleshaws on 10 May under something of an expenses-related cloud. He denies any wrong-doing, but this hasn't stopped the firm from calling in the Solicitors Regulation Authority and releasing a statement that he "resigned from the business after an internal investigation discovered apparent discrepancies relating to expenses and disbursements".
Happily for Gilbert he is still in gainful employment having started as a consultant at Devonshires the same day he quit. Presumably Devonshires was able to satisfy itself that Gilbert has no case to answer - although no one knows as the firm is refusing to comment.
The news is the latest in a line of expenses problems for City firms. The godfather of dodgy claims remains Hogan Lovells' Chris Grierson, the respected senior litigator who admitted fiddling the firm out of £1m in false expenses. He was speedily shunted out of the firm earlier this month and was given 14 days to pay back the sum in full. A deadline which was then extended until today, to give him a little longer to search his attic for Ming vases or hidden Picassos.
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A hand in a cookie jar yesterday |
Capping off this unhappy triumvirate is former Ince global energy head Andrew Iyer. RollOnFriday reported Iyer's suspension from the firm for "irregular financial behaviour" in July last year, and he is now under investigation by both the SRA and the Met, after allegations that over £3m of clients' money had been moved into accounts under his control. Iyer's side line as a crime novelist and penchant for dating daughters of the rich and famous seems set to guarantee his place in the headlines for a while yet.
Whether or not Iyer and Gilbert are ultimately found to have engaged in any wrong-doing, it's certainly not been the greatest couple of weeks for the image of City partners who may soon find themselves as popular as MPs.