Cocaine: Two police cautions
A City solicitor suspended for a year after a second police caution for possessing cocaine has had conditions on his return to practice removed.
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) said it was “impressed” by Matthew Podger’s “genuine remorse”.
It said: “He had fully acknowledged his past conduct and had taken the time to reflect upon it.”
Mr Podger went before the SDT in 2020 after he did not report the 2018 caution to his then employer, the London office of US firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, or the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
The firm was anonymously tipped off some months later and suspended him. Mr Podger then resigned.
He had reported the first caution, in 2014, to the SRA and his then employer, Slaughter and May.
Mr Podger told the tribunal at the original hearing that he did not report the second one out of fear of losing his job and marriage.
In addition to the suspension, the SDT said that, on his return to practice, he could not be a law firm compliance or money laundering reporting officer, and had to disclose the conditions to future employers.
He applied to have these remove. The SDT recorded: “He submitted that these conditions were no longer necessary to protect the public or maintain confidence in the legal profession.
“He stressed the significant passage of time since the misconduct, his sustained rehabilitation, responsible conduct in both personal and professional contexts, and full compliance with existing conditions.
“He also clarified that he had no desire or intention to undertake senior compliance roles, remaining committed to fee-earning, transactional legal work. While he recognised the role of disclosure in maintaining transparency, he asserted that the retention of these conditions no longer served a protective purpose.”
The tribunal heard that Mr Podger initially worked in the hospitality industry following the end of his suspension but returned to the law in 2023 as a senior associate in the City office of HCR Legal, working in the banking and finance team.
He was transparent with the firm and consistently passed quarterly drug screenings. Occupational health assessments in May 2023 and May 2025 “both confirmed his fitness to practise, openness, and integrity”, Mr Podger submitted.
He also provided letters of support from his line manager, head of department and managing partner, as well as personal references.
The SRA adopted a neutral position on the application and acknowledged that the solicitor had demonstrated “rehabilitation, insight and compliance with his obligations”.
The SDT acknowledged the efforts Mr Podger had made since his suspension and the “complete support” of HCR.
His personal circumstances had also “changed significantly since the earlier matters, particularly in relation to his family life and the responsibilities now resting upon him”.
The tribunal concluded that the conditions, “although properly and necessarily imposed at the time, no longer served the purpose of protecting the public or maintaining the reputation of the profession”.
The SDT removed the conditions. Mr Podger was ordered to pay costs of £2,332.
