A SOLICITOR who swindled more than £300,000 from the Legal Aid Board faces being struck off today when he appears before a disciplinary tribunal.
Three months ago, John Tate, 50, was jailed for five years for submitting 8,000 false claim forms for fees for work he claimed to have carried out for clients.
Today, he is due to appear before a Solicitor's Disciplinary Tribunal, in London, where he faces being struck off.
Tate, of Mayberry Grove, Middlesbrough, was made bankrupt with debts of more than £400,000 in 2001 after his business folded.
At Newcastle Crown Court in February, he admitted obtaining money transfer by deception between December 1996 and December 1999 while at his firm, Tate and Co.
Judge Guy Whitburn said he was satisfied at least £326,000 was taken from the public funds.
No real claims were found in a random sample of 140 forms examined by police.
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