Firm tech tracks down device
A former Ashurst Perkins Coie IT analyst has been barred from working at law firms without the SRA’s permission after taking a laptop from one of the firm’s offices and failing to return it.
Lewis Duncan worked as an IT service desk analyst at the Silver Circle firm’s Glasgow office from April 2023 until his summary dismissal in April 2024.
The SRA found that, in February 2024, Duncan removed one of the firm’s laptops from its Glasgow office without permission and took it home for his own use. The former IT worker failed to return it, with the regulator concluding that his conduct was dishonest.
Things began to unravel later that month when Ashurst discovered laptops were missing from its IT storeroom. Stock checks showed that one device remained unaccounted for, prompting the firm to turn to security software capable of tracking the laptop even if it had been wiped.
The firm’s checks soon pointed to Duncan. Its IT team found that the missing device had connected to the same home IP address and Wi-Fi network he used while working remotely on his usual firm-issued laptop.
The firm then remotely locked the laptop, rendering it unusable. Anyone switching it on would see a message asking them to contact Ashurst’s IT helpdesk, but the firm says it received no such call.
After investigating the matter and holding a disciplinary hearing, the firm dismissed Duncan for serious misconduct and reported him to the regulator.
The SRA has now imposed a section 43 order, finding that the dishonest conduct meant it was “undesirable for him to be involved in legal practice” without its prior approval.
Duncan was also ordered to pay £600 towards the SRA’s costs.
