British authorities find barrister was not qualified to practice

PORTSMOUTH, England, March 3 (UPI) -- British authorities said a woman who worked as a barrister for at least 10 years never finished the qualification process.

Yvonne Turley, 50, of Portsmouth, England, served clients as an employment law specialist and represented clients at tribunals for years before the Bar Standards Board discovered she never qualified as a barrister, the Daily Telegraph reported Monday.

Turley was listed by the East Hampshire Citizens Advice Bureau as an employment specialist for at least 10 years, the bar heard.

The Bar Standards Board said Turley completed law exams and the Bar Vocational Course, now known as the Bar Professional Training Course, in March 2000, but she never completed her pupilage, the on-the-job training required to work as a barrister.

The board said Turley, also known as Yvonne Lloyd, was investigated after clients complained she failed to submit documents on time and seemed unprepared during hearings. She also rarely answered phone calls, clients told the board.

The board, which ruled Turley had misled her clients and caused "real detriment" with the services she provided, struck her from the bar and referred the case to Action Fraud, Britain's national fraud and Internet crime reporting center.