It’s been a busy few weeks for Asons Solicitors
Asons Solicitors has been closed down by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
The outfit — founded in 2008 by Dr Imran Akram and Kamran Akram — hit headlines last year after it was the recipient of a £300,000 grant from Bolton Council to help fund the refurbishment of a new town centre office. Awarded under the council’s emergency powers procedure, the grant sparked outrage among opposition councillors and members of the public.
Confirming that it had taken the decision to close Asons with “immediate effect,” a spokesperson for the SRA said:
[The SRA] will stop the firm from operating, take possession of all documents and papers held by the firm, and take possession of all money held by the firm (including clients’ money). It is not responsible towards employees or trade creditors of firms that it has intervened in.
The statement — released in the past hour — confirms that Kamran Akram has been suspended from practising as a solicitor. It cites breaches of the SRA’s code of conduct and principles for the intervention.
Earlier this week Legal Cheek reported that Asons had ceased trading on Friday having been purchased by fellow personal injury outfit Coops Law. With all of its employees transferring over to Coops Law, a spokesperson for the Asons described the sale as “a fresh start for everyone.”
The SRA has confirmed that the intervention does not affect Coops Law.
The regulator’s decision to close Asons down comes just 48 hours after it handed back the £300,000 grant. Having taken “external legal advice,” council leader Cliff Morris confirmed that a notice to terminate the grant was delivered to Asons on Monday and the money had been paid back in full the following day.
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