The Divisional Court (Flaux LJ and Jeremy Baker J) has today handed down judgment in three appeals (SRA v James, SRA v MacGregor and SRA v Naylor) overturning decisions of the Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal on sanctions.  The Tribunal had held that there were exceptional circumstances such that three solicitors who had acted dishonestly should not be struck off the Roll.  Having considered the applicable principles, in particular in cases of dishonesty, and the correct approach to an appeal on sanction from a disciplinary tribunal, the Divisional Court held that the Tribunal had been wrong to find that the pressure and/or depressive or stress related conditions the Respondents were suffering from amounted to exceptional circumstances. Chloe Carpenter acted for the SRA, the appellant, on all three appeals — leading Heather Emmerson on SRA v James and SRA v MacGregor and leading Andrew Bullock on SRA v Naylor.  A copy of the judgment can be found here.