Tehran: Client died in Iran
A law firm owner who acted “based on her recollections as opposed to checking facts” has been rebuked after letting administration of an estate drift for six years.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) said this was the second time in two years that it has had reason to investigate Nancy Ballard, who runs Essex law firm Davis Solicitors.
A notice published this week said that, in January 2016, Ms Ballard’s client executed her will and appointed Davis Solicitors as the executor.
The client passed away in February 2019. Ms Ballard retrieved the will and notified the family that she would begin administration of the estate.
There was an initial delay in obtaining the death certificate because the death took place in Iran.
In January 2022, the Legal Ombudsman upheld a complaint of poor service made by the sole beneficiary of the estate.
“The decision highlighted that Ms Ballard had failed to progress the estate and failed to communicate with the beneficiary,” the SRA recorded.
Ms Ballard applied for grant of probate around the end of May 2024 and it was granted three months later, but as of July 2025, more than six years after the death, distribution of the estate was still only partially complete.
The SRA found that the solicitor had failed to provide a competent service.
In deciding on sanction, the adjudicator said: “Ms Ballard’s regulatory history shows she was issued with a letter of warning, on 29 May 2024, which would suggest that there is a pattern of behaviour.
“It was reported that Ms Ballard failed to take account of relevant information her client had provided to her. Ms Ballard then placed reliance on her memory, whereas a review of the client file showed that the information had been received.
“This is similar conduct to the findings I have made above, where she acted based on her recollections as opposed to checking facts. Therefore, some public sanction is required to uphold public confidence in the delivery of legal services.”
The beneficiary said the unexplained delays had caused her stress and anxiety.
Ms Ballard had taken remedial action, the SRA noted, by updating the firm’s probate management process, “which puts into place measures to prevent repetition of this behaviour”,
She sought to appeal the decision to rebuke her but the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal refused the appeal at the end of last month. Its reasons have not yet been published.
Ms Ballard was also ordered to pay the SRA costs of £1,350.
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