Lawyer in Hot Water Over Suspicious Crypto Case

A legal professional at a respected London law firm is now under scrutiny. The issue? A possible misuse of legal threats on behalf of a shady cryptocurrency company and its missing founder. Claire Gill, a solicitor at Carter-Ruck, is facing disciplinary action. She once worked for OneCoin and Ruja Ignatova, also known as the "Cryptoqueen. " Ignatova is wanted by the FBI and has been missing since 2017. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) claims Gill made an improper legal threat in 2017. Gill denies this, but the case is moving forward. Initially, Gill tried to keep OneCoin and Ignatova's names out of the proceedings. However, she withdrew this request after a ruling stated that Carter-Ruck was likely helping OneCoin and Ignatova with fraudulent activities. This means legal privilege doesn't apply, and their names can be used.Carter-Ruck insists that Gill and her team didn't know OneCoin was a fraud. They believe they acted in good faith and followed their professional duties. The case will be heard in December. Meanwhile, Ignatova is still on the run. She is accused of running a $4 billion Ponzi scheme and has not been seen since 2017. This case is significant for UK lawyers. It's one of the first involving an alleged SLAPP suit, where lawsuits are used to silence criticism. A similar case recently resulted in a hefty fine for another lawyer. This case will be watched closely by legal professionals.