BHA panel chairman Lohn will not face action over Best inquiry role

Matthew Lohn, the lawyer whose role in the Jim Best inquiry led to the case having to undergo a second hearing, will not face any further action from the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Lohn was chairman of the BHA disciplinary panel that found Best guilty of non-trier charges and banned the trainer for four years in April last year, but the verdict had to be quashed due to an appearance of bias when it emerged Lohn had been paid by the BHA to provide separate legal advice on other matters.

In the resulting fallout the BHA engaged a QC to examine every case involving Lohn since October 2013, when the senior partner of City law firm Fieldfisher began advising the BHA.

Lohn's conduct also caught the attention of the SRA, which last year confirmed through a spokesman: "We are aware of the issue and will look at all available information before deciding on appropriate action."

However, according to specialist law firm website Roll On Friday, the SRA will not take the issue any further.

It reported the investigation had been "closed down". An SRA spokesman said it had "looked at all issues involved" and "decided no disciplinary action was necessary".