Saul
Oyefeso
Employee
7254619
Decision - Employee-related decision
Outcome: Control of non-qualified staff (Section 43 / Section 99 order)
Outcome date: 31 January 2025
Published date: 10 February 2025
Firm details
Firm or organisation at time of matters giving rise to outcome
Name: Hawkins Law Ltd
Address(es): 448 Romford Road, London, E7 8DF, England
Firm ID: 641732
Outcome details
This outcome was reached by SRA decision.
Decision details
Who does this decision relate to?
Saul Oyefeso whose last known address was in Manchester.
A person who is or was involved in a legal practice but is not a solicitor.
Summary of decision
The SRA has put restrictions on where and how Mr Oyefeso can work in an SRA regulated firm. It was found that:
Mr Oyefeso who is not a solicitor, was involved in a legal practice and has been convicted of a criminal offence which is such that it is undesirable for him to be involved in a legal practice in any of the ways described in the order below.
The facts of the case
Mr Oyefeso was employed as a consultant in the personal injury department of Hawkins Law Limited (the firm) from 1 May 2019 until 17 January 2020 and from 8 June 2020 to 4 December 2020. The firm is a licensed body. Mr Oyefeso was supervised by a solicitor when employed at the firm.
On 9 August 2018, Mr Oyefeso was in a public house. He interrupted the conversation of other individuals who were also drinking in the public house. On more than one occasion they asked Mr Oyefeso to leave them alone. On the last of those occasions, Mr Oyefeso's tone, which had been persistent but friendly, became aggressive. When the individuals left the public house, he followed them carrying a glass and bottle.
Following exchanges between them, Mr Oyefeso threw the bottle he was carrying at one of the individuals in the group (the complainant). It missed but it struck the window of a takeaway causing £500 worth of damage. Mr Oyefeso's mobile phone fell to the ground. The complainant reached down to take it. Mr Oyefeso then threw the glass directly at him. It smashed against the complainant's head causing a laceration that bled profusely. The complainant did not receive hospital treatment, but he was left with a scar on the back of his head.
On 23 October 2019, Mr Oyefeso pleaded guilty and was convicted on indictment to wounding/inflicting grievous bodily harm (GBH) without intent and causing criminal damage to property, valued under £5,000.
On 31 January 2020, Mr Oyefeso was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment for the GBH and 2 months imprisonment for the criminal damage with both sentences to run concurrently.
Decision on outcome
An order pursuant to section 43(2) of the Solicitors Act 1974 was imposed as Mr Oyefeso has been convicted of a criminal offence which is such that it is undesirable for him to be involved in legal practice without the SRA's prior approval.
Mr Oyefeso's conviction calls into question his integrity and compliance with law abiding behaviour. He acted in a public facing role at the firm and interacted with clients and members of the profession.
Clients, the profession and the public would not expect a person employed in such a role at a firm to have a conviction for serious offences including violence which resulted in a custodial sentence. The nature of the offences for which he was convicted mean that his employment in the profession without controls, would diminish public trust and confidence in the legal profession and in the delivery of legal services.
Mr Oyefeso was also ordered to pay the SRA's costs of £600.
What our Section 43 order means
- no solicitor shall employ or remunerate him in connection with his/her practice as a solicitor;
- no employee of a solicitor shall employ or remunerate him in connection with the solicitor's practice;
- no recognised body shall employ or remunerate him:
- no manager or employee of a recognised body shall employ or remunerate him in connection with the business of that body;
- no recognised body or manager or employee of such a body shall permit him to be a manager of the body; and
- no recognised body or manager or employee of such a body shall permit him to have an interest in the body
except in accordance with the SRA's prior written permission.