The firm  was accused of misconduct by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for its handling of claims that  British troops tortured civilians during the Iraq War and its failure to disclose relevant evidence.  Leigh Day and solicitors Martyn Day and Sapna Malik deny 19 misconduct charges whilst lawyer Anna Crowther denies one allegation of misconduct. The hearing is mooted to be the longest and most costly ever for the regulatory body and could last around seven weeks. 

Document

Representing the SDT,  Mr Timothy Dutton QC claimed that the firm had continued to act for their clients despite possessing a document that they were members of a militia associated with the Mahdi Army -  undermining their clients’ claims they were innocent bystanders in the Battle of Danny Boy. ‘It demonstrated that they were members of a murderous militia who had ambushed British soldiers,' he alleged. The tribunal heard how it was “almost nine years” since they had first come into contact with the document, including an English translation, before this document was passed on to anyone else in August 2014. The firm has always argued that this was a human error and not professional wrongdoing. The case is ongoing.