A SOLICITOR has been suspended from practising leaving his clients having to find new representation part way through their cases.

Ian Hall, who operated from Hall & Co on Orford Lane, was told by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) he was having his certificate to practise suspended on December 21.

The SRA had issued a notice to take him to a Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal in January over a number of allegations.

They included failing to provide clients with completed copies of their files when asked, failing without explanation to attend a court hearing a client’s case and providing misleading information to the Legal Ombudsman and a former client about the whereabouts of that client’s file.

Following the tribunal the adjudicator decided to grant Mr Hall a practising certificate for 2011 and 2012 subject to a condition.

It says he must take a professional development course within the next three months.

But last month clients found out he was no longer operating and only found out about his suspension by contacting the SRA themselves.

Now other solicitors in the town are taking on the rest of Mr Hall’s case work.

David Potts, speaking on behalf of Mr Hall, said: “Mr Hall advised the SRA some weeks beforehand that he was unable to continue to practice through illness.

"There were lengthy discussions as to the viability of engaging temporary staff in his absence but it was ultimately agreed that intervention was appropriate.”