Christopher Takamitsu Foster
Employee
667214

Decision - Employee-related decision

Outcome: Control of non-qualified staff (Section 43 / Section 99 order)

Outcome date: 16 April 2025

Published date: 22 April 2025

Firm details

Firm or organisation at time of matters giving rise to outcome

Name: Robert Barber & Sons

Address(es): 46 Bridgford Road, West Bridgford, NOTTINGHAM, NG2 6AP, England

Firm ID: 46538

Outcome details

This outcome was reached by SRA decision.

Decision details

A finding of dishonesty was made against Mr Christopher Takamitsu Foster and he was made subject to a disqualification order under section 99 of the Legal Services Act 2007.

The SRA has disqualified Mr Foster from holding any of the following roles in law firms regulated by the SRA:

• Head of Legal Practice
• Head of Finance and Administration
• A manager
• An employee

On 4 July 2023, the SRA received a report from the firm that several improper payments had been made from the firm's client account as a result of the actions of Mr Foster, who was employed by the firm as a Private Client Executive.

The firm reported that in June 2023 a partner at the firm had begun assisting Mr Foster with his workload due to Mr Foster covering for a Private Client Solicitor who had recently left the firm. While supporting Mr Foster, on 21 June 2023 the partner became concerned that certain payments requested by Mr Foster from a particular client trust ledger had been improperly made and not sanctioned by the trustees as they should have been.

Mr Foster's files were subsequently reviewed and a number of additional improper payments made by Mr Foster were identified as well as other examples of inappropriate conduct.

Following this discovery Mr Foster was suspended from his employment at the firm on 21 June 2023 and the firm reported the matter to their insurer and the police. Mr Foster was arrested on 31 July 2023 and subsequently released on police bail.

It was found that Mr Foster had:

Misappropriated funds between May and November 2022 totalling £219,094.26 relating to an estate that had been properly bequeathed by the deceased to an individual by transferring the funds to a private company that had been incorporated by Mr Foster in April 2022 and for which Mr Foster was the sole director and the sole shareholder. Mr Foster also fabricated a contact note to suggest that this transfer was being carried out at the request of the beneficiary.

Arranged a series of improper payments between January and May 2023 in respect of an estate he was administering to individuals who were not related to that client matter, in breach of the conditions stated in the deceased's Will.

Misappropriated funds from another estate between September 2022 and May 2023 by improperly arranging for funds belonging to the deceased to be paid to him personally, rather than into the firm's client account.

Failed to progress a further client matter between 3 November 2021 and April 2023 and then produced fraudulent documents to mislead his supervisors about progress on the file which in turn led to the client receiving misleading information.

Mr Foster's conduct was found to be dishonest.

Reasons/basis

Mr Foster's conduct breached relevant duties that applied to him as an employee of the firm, namely, SRA Principles 4 and 5.

It was found that it would be undesirable for Mr Foster to act as a Head of Legal Practice, Head of Finance and Administration, a manager or an employee of a body licensed in accordance with section 99 of the Legal Services Act 2007.

Mr Foster was disqualified from holding any of these roles.

He was also directed to pay costs of £1,350.

SRA Principles 

SRA Principle 4 You act with honesty.

SRA Principle 5 You act with integrity.