A solicitor’s conviction for blackmail has led to his removal from the legal profession.
- Michael John Potter threatened a director to secure favourable exit terms from their firm.
- The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal deemed the offence serious, requiring striking off.
- Potter’s extensive career and past record did not mitigate the severity of his actions.
- The conviction included a suspended sentence and significant unpaid work requirements.
In a significant development within the legal community, solicitor Michael John Potter has been struck off following a blackmail conviction. The incident arose from Potter’s attempt to obtain beneficial exit terms from his company by threatening a fellow director with disclosure to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) remarked that the nature of the misconduct was extremely serious, necessitating a strike off from the roll to safeguard the reputation of the profession. Despite recognising Potter’s insight into his wrongdoing and the one-off nature of the incident, the tribunal found no alternative to this severe sanction.
Potter, who qualified in 1991, has not been actively employed as a solicitor since 1994, although he briefly served as a consultant at Eversheds Sutherland. In 2019, he joined 350 PPM Ltd, a company focused on incubating early-stage environmental businesses, as a director. However, tensions within the directorship soon emerged, culminating in Potter’s attempt to negotiate either an exit package or improved remuneration.
During a board meeting in July 2021, discussions took a controversial turn. Potter, alongside another director, John Price, suggested they would report potential non-compliance of the company and director Nicholas Dimmock to the FCA unless their demands were met. Potter’s statement during the meeting, which was premeditated with Price, led directly to the blackmail charge.
Potter pleaded not guilty but was ultimately convicted in March 2023, following a hung jury in an initial trial. The court sentenced him to a 12-month prison term, suspended for two years, alongside 240 hours of unpaid community service. Despite presenting mitigating circumstances, such as personal challenges and the impact on his health and finances, Potter did not contest the tribunal’s decision to strike him off.
He accepted the tribunal’s ruling in an agreement with the Solicitors Regulation Authority, reflecting on his actions and expressing regret for failing to uphold professional standards. Furthermore, Potter agreed to cover the legal costs incurred by the SRA, amounting to £4,158.
The strike off serves as a stringent reminder of the legal profession’s ethical standards and the repercussions of egregious misconduct.
