Irwin Mitchell associate struck off after billing 20-hour days

A former Irwin Mitchell senior associate has been struck off after the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) found she dishonestly inflated her timesheets for three years - including one entry claiming 23 hours of billable work in a single day.

Natasha Fairs, who joined the firm’s serious injury team in 2007 and was promoted to senior associate in 2022, admitted submitting records that were "inaccurate, misleading and in excess" of the work she had done.

What happened

Between February 2020 and April 2023, Fairs inflated hours on high value cases where bills had already been agreed and on low value fixed-fee matters, meaning her false entries were written off and not charged to clients.

She logged 20.4 hours in a single day in April 2020, 22.9 hours in April 2022, and 18.1 hours in April 2023 - far above Irwin Mitchell’s expected 6.3 billable hours per day.

While clients were not directly overcharged, the tribunal found her conduct harmed colleagues and the firm. Costs were allocated to fee-earners based on recorded time, meaning others received a smaller share of fees, which in turn affected their salaries, bonuses and promotions. The firm’s forecasting and staffing models were also skewed.

Fairs’ inflated performance also helped secure her promotion to senior associate and boosted her bonus potential.

Judgment

The SDT concluded that Fairs’ behaviour was deliberate, sustained and dishonest.

She admitted the misconduct, citing pressures including the death of a close family member and a heavy caseload, but accepted these did not excuse her actions.

Outcome

Fairs was found to have breached the SRA Principles and Code of Conduct for Solicitors. The tribunal ordered that she be struck off the roll and pay £5,200 in costs.