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Solicitors and other lawyers making the news. 1996 to present |
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Title and description of item or excerpt. |
Links - the full story |
Date posted on UnjustIS |
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Solicitor jailed for £100k theft A solicitor has been jailed for stealing almost £100,000 from clients to compensate others he had failed. Jeremy Langworthy, 48, of Abergavenny, admitted taking money from accounts to make up "acceptable" compensation sums for other clients. Prosecutor Michael Mather-Lees told Merthyr Crown Court: "Langworthy was effectively robbing Peter to pay Paul." He was jailed for 18 months after admitting seven charges of theft totalling £99,400 and one of forgery. |
16 Jan 2007 |
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Solicitor who smuggled drugs into Barlinnie named A solicitor who admitted smuggling drugs into Glasgow's Barlinnie prison can now be named. It follows a successful legal challenge by lawyers from media companies including Scottish Television to a High Court ruling that Angela Baillie's name should be kept out of the press. She is now facing a lengthy prison sentence after pleading guilty. |
07 Feb 2006 |
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Lawyer supplied drugs to prisoner A solicitor has admitted supplying drugs to a Barlinnie Prison inmate. Heroin and diazepam with a street value of more than £1,600 were handed over in a cigarette packet which had been opened and resealed, the court heard. |
06 Feb 2006 |
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Top lawyer killed wife in vicious knife attack A partner at one of Britain’s biggest law firms stabbed his wife to death in a "ferocious" attack just days after she told him she was having an affair, a court heard today. Christopher Lumsden, 52, used a kitchen knife to stab his wife Alison in the neck, face and back as she sat at a dressing table in the bedroom of their home near Altrincham, Cheshire, on the evening of March 16 last year. |
06 Feb 2006 |
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DISHONEST SOLICITOR STRUCK OFF A DISGRACED solicitor has been
struck off after borrowing tens of thousands of pounds from dead clients'
estates. A Law Society disciplinary tribunal found Adrian Gerard Donkin, a
trusted solicitor for 30 years, had acted dishonestly by misusing money in
customers' accounts, as loans for himself. |
28 Jan 2006 |
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You'll be jailed for theft from clients A DISGRACED solicitor who plundered more than £143,000 from clients was yesterday warned he faced jail. Stephen Pulston Williams, of Holborn Road, Holyhead, admitted four charges of theft, three of false accounting, and one forgery charge. The 50-year-old was the senior partner in the longstanding law firm of Prothero Williams with offices in Valley, Holyhead and Bangor. He was struck off in 2002, after he admitted using clients' cash for his own use, leaving a £172,000 black hole. The firm, closed down by a legal watchdog, was later taken over. |
25 Jan 2006 |
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Crooked lawyers ordered to pay up A SOLICITOR and his law firm must pay £360,000 to 63 investors involved in a boiler room scam the Court of Appeal ruled today. John Martin and Adrian Sam & Co ("ASC"), the former London-based law firm at which Martin was a partner, were found guilty in December 2004 of being involved in an illegal overseas investment firm's 'boiler room' activities in the UK. |
26 Nov 2005 |
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Lawyer jailed for stealing 6 mln stg from clients LONDON (Reuters) - A solicitor was jailed for eight years on Thursday for stealing over 6 million pounds from his clients. Michael Fielding, 59, used his position as a partner at law firm Lawrence Graham to fraudulently sign off requests for scores of payments over a 3-year period. "At present, 140 unauthorised withdrawals totalling 6.5 million pounds have been identified," police said after Fielding was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court. |
03 Nov 2005 |
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Fugitive City lawyer faces jail A top City lawyer, who used to advise the Princess Diana Memorial Trust, is to be sentenced this week after admitting stealing at least £6.5m from his clients. Michael Fielding, a former partner at solicitors Lawrence Graham, was a fugitive from justice for more than four years... |
31 Oct 2005 |
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Fraudulent solicitor is struck off A solicitor who was jailed for 28 days after admitting stealing from a charity has been struck off by the Law Society. Christopher Savage was convicted at Lowestoft Magistrate's Court in December after a court heard he had abused his position as treasurer to the Beccles Round Table and Beccles Business Association(BBA) by taking money destined for the James Paget Hospital (JPH) at Gorleston. |
17 Oct 2005 |
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Lawyer jailed for embezzling cash A solicitor who embezzled more than £100,000 from his Glasgow law firm has been jailed for two years. Calum Blyth, 34, admitted taking the money from the firm's account over two-and-a-half years in the late 1990s. Judge Lord McPhail told the High Court in Edinburgh that cases of embezzling by solicitors damaged public confidence in the legal profession. |
16 Sept 2005 |
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Solicitor abused client's child A solicitor has been
jailed for grooming the 10-year-old daughter of a client before abusing her.
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30 Aug 2005 |
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Shady lawyer left us in the cold J.W. writes: "I have a problem with the Law Society. I run a wholesale business selling beers, wines and spirits, and after a customer's cheque for £40,000 bounced, we cut off supplies. The customer said new finance was being raised and cash was imminent. We accepted an undertaking from the customer's solicitor that we would be paid in full, so supplies were reinstated. Well, the firm was refinanced, but we never received our cash as promised and we put the firm into liquidation".. Tony Hetherington replies: "LET'S name names. The company that owes you money is called Tockheath. When it went bust, you had received £16,500, leaving £23,500 due. And the solicitor who gave the dud promise to pay you is Barry Roberts. Writing on the notepaper of his firm, Roberts & Co of Sheffield, he said: 'As solicitors for and on behalf of Tockheath, we hereby undertake to discharge your outstanding account in the sum of £40,000 from the proceeds of the refinancing operation.' What could be clearer? Roberts was not writing on Tockheath notepaper, he did not sign himself as a director of Tockheath and he wrote as a solicitor, nothing else. But there is more to Roberts than meets the eye. Not long after he made his promise to you, his firm was shut down by the Law Society"... Read the full text, link on right:- Also by Tony Hetherington: Why Crooks are Laughing |
30 Aug 2005 |
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LAWYER STOLE £108K A FORMER solicitor faces jail after admitting embezzling £108,000 from clients when his firm plunged into debt. |
13 Aug 2005 |
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Solicitor struck off after using client fund A NORTH Yorkshire solicitor has been struck off after taking £20,000 from his firm's accounts to pay his utility bills. A solicitors' tribunal yesterday heard fellow partners at Northallerton firm Jefferson Willan and Co became concerned Roland Heslop-Gill was withdrawing excessive sums every month as salary. |
03 Aug 2005 |
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Solicitor jailed for client theft A solicitor has been jailed for 18 months after he stole £150,000 from two chronically ill patients and from bank accounts of dead clients. Nicholas Pounder, 46, from Porthcawl, south Wales, used the money to pay off credit card debts Swansea Crown Court was told. He admitted 16 charges of theft, two of false accounting, while 71 similar charges were taken into account. |
15 Jul 2005 |
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Solicitor jailed for will swindle A north Devon solicitor who swindled clients out of more than £280,000 has been jailed for three and a half years. Philip Huxtable, 58, from Hiscott near Barnstaple, was found guilty last month of 11 charges of stealing from clients. He tried to cover up his stealing by massively overcharging clients, Bournemouth Crown Court was told. The Freemason, who has since been made bankrupt, used the money to prop up his ailing business, Pitts Tuckers, and to finance a lavish lifestyle. |
13 Jul 2005 |
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£2m pension fund fraud solicitor jailed A SOLICITOR who helped his client plunder more than £2m from the pension fund of hundreds of Scottish workers was jailed for two years yesterday. Carsten Iversen, 44, played a "vital role" in reassuring trustees that a complex cash transfer scheme was above board. |
01 Jul 2005 |
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Solicitor pleads guilty to theft A solicitor who stole nearly £350,000 from clients and the Inland Revenue has been jailed for four years for theft. Christopher McChrystal, 52, was caught when the Law Society carried out an inspection at his sole practice on De Montfort Street in Leicester. |
29 Jun 2005 |
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Internet Adoption Solicitor Struck Off A solicitor who sparked controversy by adopting twin girls through the internet today lost his High Court battle against being struck off for breaching strict financial rules. Alan Kilshaw’s wife, Judith, appeared in person before two senior judges to challenge the disciplinary ruling. She argued that, as Mr Kilshaw, 50, had not been accused of dishonesty, he should be subjected to a lesser penalty, such as suspension. |
20 Jun 2005 |
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Solicitor is barred for helping fraudster A SOLICITOR who served a three-year jail sentence for helping a fraudster steal £425,000 has been struck off by the Law Society. Susan Davies, 56, was sucked into an advance fee scam aimed at a Korean developer hoping to raise the money to provide a designer golf course at Eyehurst Farm, Kingswood. Davies allowed the mastermind of the fraud, Andreas Kitallides, to withdraw the money from her client account after falling for his flattery. But, while he avoided charges by fleeing to South Africa, Davies was forced to plead guilty to conspiracy to defraud. |
07 Jun 2005 |
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Thousands sought from con lawyer A former lawyer who
swindled clients out of almost £700,000 has been ordered to pay back
£100,000. |
04 Jun 2005 |
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Bigamous lawyer stole from client A bigamous solicitor has been jailed for six months for stealing thousands of pounds from a dead client's account to pay for her marriage. Marylena Shuti, 29, wrote cheques for £6,000 and £2,000 from the estate of Clifford Parkinson, and paid them into her account, Luton Crown Court heard. |
04 Jun 2005 |
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Lawyer stole £825,000 from taxman A solicitor stole more than £825,000 from the Inland Revenue by paying money into a bogus bank account he had set up in the name of "Ian Revue", a court heard yesterday. Ian Macfarlane lived in an "idyllic" country house worth £750,000, drove a Mercedes, educated his children at an independent prep school and used the proceeds of his crime "like a cashpoint".Macfarlane, 44, a partner at Traill & Co, in Blandford, Dorset,... |
27 Apr 2005 |
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Law firm's payout to 'betrayed' ex-miners A LAW firm has been forced to pay out over £100,000 to 13 former Yorkshire miners after handling their claims for compensation negligently. Some of the claims against Doncaster solicitors Shaw & Co were prompted by a Yorkshire Post investigation into the Yorkshire Compensation Recovery Service, which referred clients to the firm. |
28 Apr 2005 |
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Immigrant visa scam lawyer
jailed |
25 Apr 2005 |
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Barrister is disbarred after calling his instructing solicitor a 'nigger' (Redacted July 2008) An Oxford-educated lawyer has become the first barrister to be disbarred for racism after he called a senior black solicitor a "nigger" and suggested he returned to Ghana. Joseph Sykes made his comments (about returning to Ghana) in a letter to a London solicitor, Philip Glah,... |
Independent | 23 Apr 2005 |
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Jailed Solicitor 'Betrayed Grieving Clients' Police who investigated a
solicitor jailed for six years after stealing more than £1 million from the
estates of dead clients today described his crimes as a “betrayal of trust
of staggering proportions”. |
24 Mar 2005 |
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Sacked Judge Gets Three Year Law Ban A former district judge who was sacked for being drunk was today banned from practising law for three years over serious financial irregularities and ordered to pay £15,000 costs. David Messenger, 50, of Scalby Road, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, used a client’s money taken from his law firm Messengers for his own personal benefit. |
22 Mar 2005 |
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Crime-Crusader Lawyer Jailed for Swindling Bosses A greedy barrister hired to root out corruption in the travel industry was jailed for four-and-a-half years today after swindling his bosses out of nearly £1 million. Ricardo Nardi, 36, was nicknamed “Mr Clean” after being taken on as legal services chief at the Association of British Travel Agents. |
16 Mar 2005 |
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Lawyer spent clients’ funds A SOLICITOR who used his clients’ money to buy a holiday home and pay staff wages, has been barred from practising on his own for 10 years. Daniel Hurley, a solicitor who owns a law firm in Galway city, was censured by the High Court after an investigation into his accounts by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, an independent body that deals with complaints against lawyers. |
13 Mar 2005 |
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Solicitor David Andrew Gatherer struck off. The SDT ordered that the respondent, of 22 Meadow Lane, East Herrington, Sunderland SR3 3RG, who at all material times had been in practice on his own account, should be struck off the Roll for unbefitting conduct in that, on 23 September 2003, he had been tried and convicted on indictment of conspiracy to defraud at Newcastle Crown Court, and on 16 January 2004 had been sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment. The SDT found that the conviction of a solicitor for a criminal offence involving dishonesty flew in the face of the fundamental requirement that a member of the profession be a person of the highest integrity, probity and trustworthiness. |
11 Mar 2005 |
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Solicitor admits theft of £900,000 from clients John Richard Ingham was struck off by the Law Society last month after the Solicitors' Disciplinary Tribunal heard he had plundered money from accounts for years. Yesterday Ingham, 60, who was a partner in the firm of Barret Chamberlain, in Manor Square, Otley, appeared at Leeds Crown Court and pleaded guilty to 19 charges of theft totalling more than £980,000 from the beneficiaries of different clients prior to June 2003. |
09 Mar 2005 |
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Crooked solicitor is shamed A CROOKED solicitor who milked £43,000 from his firm when his bosses failed to give him a promised pay rise was struck off on Tuesday.Panikkos Panayi, 39, vowed to "get even" with his partners at Heckford Norton in Letchworth GC when they decided against the increase. |
03 Mar 2005 |
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Bent solicitor thrown out A DISHONEST Wirral solicitor used £10,000 entrusted to him by a client to pay his own salary, a disciplinary hearing was told yesterday. Gordon Kingan, 50, was thrown out of the profession after the tribunal heard how he also used a cheque drawn on his client's account to pay his mortgage. |
16 Feb 2005 |
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Solicitor sacked after BBC sting This item has been temporarily removed pending enquiries about the broken link. UJ has a cached version of the original article, which featured here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hampshire/4263439.stm |
BBC (link broken) |
14 Feb 2005 |
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Corruption Probe Lawyer Facing Jail for Fraud A barrister employed to unearth corruption in the British travel industry was behind bars today after admitting defrauding the organisation that hired him. Ricardo Nardi, 36, who was the head of legal services at the Association of British Travel Agents, siphoned off nearly £1 million from its coffers during a seven-year betrayal of trust. |
11 Feb 2005 |
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Solicitors undertook irreconcilable duties "A man may have a duty on one side and an interest on another. A solicitor who puts himself in that position takes upon himself a grievous responsibility. A solicitor may have a duty on one side and a duty on the other, namely, a duty to his client as solicitor on the one side and a duty to his beneficiaries on the other; but if he chooses to put himself in that position it does not lie in his mouth to say to the client 'I have not discharged that which the law says is my duty towards you, my client, because I owe a duty to the beneficiaries on the other side'. The answer is that if a solicitor involves himself in that dilemma it is his own fault. He ought before putting himself in that position to inform the client of his conflicting duties, and either obtain from that client an agreement that he should not perform his full duties of disclosure or say - which would be much better - 'I cannot accept this business.' I think it would be the worst thing to say that a solicitor can escape from the obligations, imposed upon him as solicitor, of disclosure if he can prove that it is not a case of duty on one side and of interest on the other, but a case of duty on both sides and therefore impossible to perform." In this case the poor soul had to wait FIFTEEN years before even getting a sniff at justice. UJ. |
05 Feb 2005 |
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Legal worker stole to pay off debts A PROBATE manager for a Suffolk solicitors' firm who stole £19,000 from clients' estates to pay off gambling debts has been jailed for 18 months. Father-of-three Gary Beales used bank cards given to him for safekeeping to withdraw money from cash points and even bought himself a car with £7,000 taken from another estate, Ipswich Crown Court heard yesterday. |
02 Feb 2005 |
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Tribunal told law firm kept cash for office use SEVEN solicitors were accused yesterday of misusing huge sums of clients' money to try to keep their business afloat. It was claimed the partners in Hull firm Carrick Carr Wright kept stamp duty and land registry money in office accounts to reduce their overdraft. Cashier Kevin Rooney even gave himself a bonus to help pay for a holiday villa, the Solicitors' Disciplinary Tribunal heard. |
25 Jan 2005 |
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Prufrock: Nadir's solicitor is struck off Peter Krivinskas, long-standing adviser and lawyer to Nadir, has been struck off as a solicitor. The Law Society has confirmed his removal from its roll of solicitors. |
23 Jan 2005 |
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Legal clerk disappears before tribunal A SOLICITORS' clerk has been barred from the profession after writing a reference for a relative who had never worked for the firm. David Kirunda, 48, also took a van-load of 325 files from one practice without the permission of the boss and moonlighted for another company. |
20 Jan 2005 |
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Solicitor admits theft from law firm A SOUTH Wales solicitor has admitted stealing more than £110,000 from his law firm. Nicholas Pounder, 46, admitted 16 offences of theft and two of false accounting at Swansea crown court yesterday. (12 Jan) |
14 Jan 2005 |
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Barrister disbarred for juggling murder cases A barrister has been disbarred for trying to represent two alleged killers in separate trials at the same time, in crown courts 130 miles apart. To compound the strain on Colin William Campbell, his personal life was "in turmoil", his defence counsel later told a Bar disciplinary tribunal. |
10 Jan 2005 |
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Solicitor jailed for charity fraud A disgraced solicitor was last night starting a 28-day jail sentence after admitting stealing money destined for charity by defrauding two business groups. Christopher Savage's solicitor said the 44-year-old father of two had suffered from "rogue file syndrome" after taking around £1300 from the Beccles Business Association (BBA) and Beccles Round Table. |
06 Jan 2005 |
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Wills theft solicitor is jailed A solicitor who stole £630,000 to
pay compensation he failed to secure for his clients has been jailed. |
21 Dec 2004 |
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Crooked lawyer struck off after dodgy plane deal A crooked lawyer acted as a
"cloak of respectability" for businessmen involved in a multi-million pound
cargo planes deal. Ian Hutchinson, 56, of Trinity Road, Paddington, allowed
his firm's headed paper to |
17 Dec 2004 | |
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Crooked solicitor struck off A CROOKED solicitor who helped evil "Snakehead" gangsters to smuggle hundreds of Chinese asylum into the country was struck off last Tuesday. Titus Miranda, 58, ran his firm as a "factory of lies" coaching migrants on how to convince the authorities that they were the victims of religious persecution. |
Harrow Times | 10 Dec 2004 |
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Solicitor admits $1.4m fraud A TASMANIAN solicitor is behind bars tonight after pleading guilty to defrauding investors of $1.4 million. Haydn James Dodge, of Sorell, was remanded in custody after pleading guilty in the Supreme Court of Tasmania to three counts of conspiracy to defraud investors. |
Daily Telegraph | 10 Dec 2004 |
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Law Soc faces £2m bill for complaints handling The cost to the Law Society of meeting revised complaints handling targets is likely to exceed £2m, it has emerged. |
The Lawyer | 07 Dec 2004 |
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Dishonest solicitor struck off LITTLEHAMPTON solicitor Robin Parslow has been struck off, for failing to keep financial records of his practice and lying to investigators. |
Littlehampton Today | 09 Dec 2004 |
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Fury over legal aid for wealthy lawyer A WEALTHY city lawyer who admitted embezzling £20,000 from clients has caused outrage after it was revealed he was given taxpayers’ cash during his court case. Critics have slammed a decision to pay legal aid to Richard McAnulty, 46, despite the fact he lives in a £400,000 house, drives a Mercedes, runs a successful chain of sandwich shops and has two children at a fee-paying school. |
The Scotsman | 31 Oct 2004 |
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"Solicitor masterminded massive legal aid fraud A flamboyant lawyer best known for representing murderer Tracie Andrews has served a jail sentence for masterminding a multi-million Legal Aid fraud, it can be revealed today. Solicitor Timothy Robinson, now 60, was convicted of conspiring to systematically defraud the Legal Aid system of huge sums of cash over a period of almost six years." (Independent) "More than 20 staff from Robinsons Solicitors - which had offices in Cheltenham, Gloucester, Bristol and Swindon - have been convicted of defrauding the Legal Aid system. On Friday, as the final trial collapsed, reporting restrictions were lifted, and the full extent of the crimes could at last be revealed." (BBC) An account of the case is also published today by the Gloucestershire Constabulary in an information pack “Operation Alison”. Contact Chelmsford (01242) 276071. |
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29 Oct 2004 |
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Solicitors stole from bankrupt company A solicitors' watchdog has welcomed a ruling to strike off two solicitors who stole £53,000 from a bankrupt client. Peter Wilson, aged 57, and Richard Lloyd, aged 56, have been thrown out of their profession after admitting dishonesty. |
28 Oct 2004 |
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CLIENT CASH RIDDLE: DODGY LAWYER OWES £750K A DISGRACED lawyer accused of fleecing cash has gone bankrupt owing up to £750,000. Douglas Criggie, 47, was investigated by the fraud squad after allegations that he swiped clients' money at his Edinburgh practice. |
Sunday Mail | 24 Oct 2004 |
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Barrister Tax Cheat Put Behind Bars INLAND REVENUE PROSECUTIONS News Release (TP29/04) issued by the Government News Network on 22 October 2004. Richard Deighton (58) a barrister of 146 Bognor Road, Chichester was sentenced to 9 months jail today at Maidstone Crown Court. |
The Scotsman | 23 Oct 2004 |
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Solicitor fined over widow's cheque ONE of Yorkshire's leading lawyers was fined £10,000 yesterday after an £80,000 insurance cheque was put into the office account instead of being paid to a widow. A Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal heard that Max Gold Partnership, of Silver Street, Hull, operated a life insurance scheme that paid out in the event of the death of an employee. When worker James Evans died in 2001, his wife Mary should have received £80,000. |
Yorkshire Post | 23 Oct 2004 |
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A law unto themselves The Law Society wants us to love our solicitors, but the number of complaints means it is a difficult case to prove. 'My hero, my solicitor' is the unlikely slogan for a poster campaign designed to impress upon an uncaring British public just how wonderful lawyers are. 'Hero' certainly isn't the word that David Smith would choose to sum up his feelings towards his lawyer. |
17 Oct 2004 |
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A reward for failure Seven staff blamed for helping to land a £7.5 million compensation bill on Birmingham housing department have been sacked. The seven had been responsible for examining council houses where tenants were suing the council for allowing the properties to fall into disrepair. Three of the seven have now found jobs with the same legal firms which pocketed millions by winning compensation for tenants, it emerged today. |
IC Birmingham | 16 Oct 2004 |
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Conman solicitor is jailed A LAWYER who conned clients out of more than £19,000 was jailed for 18 months yesterday. Edinburgh sheriff Douglas Allan told 46-year old Richard McAnulty a custodial sentence was the only appropriate one. |
Daily record | 13 Oct 2004 |
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Solicitor 'failed to voice suspicions' A Belfast solicitor has been jailed for six months for failing to tell police about his suspicions that a client was laundering drug money. Gavin David McCartan, 46, from Ardenlee Avenue,... |
BBC | 04 Oct 2004 |
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Solicitor in court on fraud charge. A CALDERDALE solicitor was among five people to appear in court accused of taking part in a housing scam. Norman Hopwood (77), of Bramley Lane, Hipperholme, and Maria Kitson, (50), of Parkwood Street, Keighley, are charged along with Mehfooz Hussain, (26), Shakeela Bibi, (26) and Mahmood Hussain, (31), all of Fairfield Road, Idle, Bradford, with conspiracy to defraud. |
Halifax Today | 01 Oct 2004 |
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Lawyer faces prison over embezzling from clients A LAWYER is facing jail after admitting embezzling money from his clients. Richard McAnulty, 46, has admitted embezzling £19,484 from the accounts of a number of his clients - including almost £7000 from the estate of two who were deceased. |
Edinburgh Evening News | 27 Sep 2004 |
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Lawyers in asbestos case agreed to destroy evidence A leading London law firm agreed a deal to destroy documents which could be used by workers to claim compensation for asbestos-related diseases, The Independent has learnt. |
Independent | 27 Sep 2004 |
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£1M BANKRUPT IS BACK IN BUSINESS A BANKRUPT lawyer who fleeced investors out of their life-savings while he racked up debts of £1million is back to his old tricks. Rogue solicitor Paul Anderson, 42, left dozens of people in ruins after enticing them to invest in his get-rich-quick mortgage business. |
Sunday Mail | 26 Sep 2004 |
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Aston Pride paid £100,000 to solicitors The former Aston Pride regeneration partnership paid more than £100,000 without authorisation to a firm of Birmingham solicitors despite the efforts of a whistleblower to expose what was happening. |
IC Birmingham | 25 Sep 2004 |
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Solicitor struck off for role in fraud scheme. Ian Wilfred Dodd had improperly assisted and/or encouraged clients and/or third parties to invest funds in a financial scheme(s) which he ought to have known was, or had the hallmarks of, an advance fee fraud. |
Law Society Gazette | 24 Sep 2004 |
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Solicitor struck off for 'sham' practice A ROSSENDALE solicitor has been
struck off for "improper and unacceptable" behaviour. |
17 Sept 2004 |
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Lawyers Accused of 'Running Sham Practice' Three lawyers faced being struck
off today over accusations of involvement in running a sham practice. |
The Scotsman | 16 Sep 2004 |
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Irish solicitor ‘made false claims to attract investor’ A SOLICITOR attempted to introduce investments into a billion dollar oil-drilling scheme by falsely claiming $10 million was being held by his employers, a disciplinary tribunal heard yesterday. Philip Merrills-Dearn, aged 35, of Kilcock, Co Kildare, formed a company for carrying out the work but used his solicitor employers’ offices and headed notepaper to add credibility, it was claimed. Updated 27 May 2005: "...the SDT was not satisfied to the high standard required that he had been dishonest." Law Society Gazette |
15 Sep 2004 | |
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Lawyers face curbs over 'profits before ethics' New rules for solicitors as client charges spiral to £9bn |
Independent | 31 Aug 2004 |
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Lawyers warned over profiteering LAWYERS were today facing a crackdown on client charges to counter fears of profiteering. The Law Society is drawing up a new code of conduct for solicitors after figures showing record profits for top firms. |
This is London | 31 Aug 2004 |
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Struck off for dodgy claims A PRESTWICH solicitor has been suspended for six months and his former partner struck off following a disciplinary tribunal held over allegations their firm had been at the centre of a £750,000 legal aid scam. Declan Adams, aged 43, of Leach Mews,... |
Asian News UK | 31 Aug 2004 |
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Fraud lawyer jailed for 6 years A Perth lawyer who defrauded finance companies of more than $13 million has been jailed for six years. Rohan George Skea received the six-year sentence after District Court chief judge Antoinette Kennedy said he had cooperated fully with police. |
ABC News Online | 27 Aug 2004 |
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LAW FIRM ACCOUNTS BOSS JAILED FOR £60,000 THEFT An Accounts manager for a city law firm who stole nearly £60,000 from his employers and spent it on cars and holidays has been jailed for two years. Andrew Erskine, aged 39, ripped off Redland-based Bevans solicitors by transferring funds belonging to the firm and its clients into his own bank account, Bristol Crown Court heard. |
This is Bristol | 25 Aug 2004 |
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Breach of trust: lawyers struck off Three NSW solicitors have been formally stripped of their licence to practise over trust fund irregularities worth almost $3 million. Stephen Gill misappropriated almost $1.9 million between 1994 and 2002 as he worked in the Newcastle region, while Kevin Minotti spent about $750,000 belonging to clients of his Bondi Junction practice. Another solicitor, Malcolm Hansen, lost his right to practise yesterday because a clerk at his Queanbeyan firm had misappropriated more than $310,000 |
Sydney Morning Herald | 25 Aug 2004 |
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Lawyer stole for lifestyle A successful young lawyer stole more than $80,000 from a leading city law firm to fund an extravagant lifestyle that included a city apartment and party drugs. Donna-Marie Field was 25 years old and earning $90,000 a year as a senior associate at Blake Dawson Waldron when she was caught claiming reimbursements for false expenses. |
The Age | 25 Aug 2004 |
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Solicitor jailed for plundering A SOLICITOR from near Solihull who plundered more than £400,000 from clients' accounts was jailed for four-and-a-half years at Birmingham Crown Court last Thursday. Michael Lee, 63, of Pund Field, Wootton Wawen, took the cash... |
IC Solihull | 20 Aug 2004 |
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BRIEFS ENCOUNTERS Lawyers banned in £144M legal aid probe TWO lawyers were banned from every court in Scotland and several others are under investigation in a multi-million pound legal aid probe. The Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) slapped a four-week ban on freelancer Iain McPeake. |
Sunday Mail | 15 Aug 2004 |
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Four years for thieving lawyer A former solicitor who plundered more than £400,000 from clients' accounts was jailed for four-and-a-half years yesterday. Michael Lee (63), of Pund Field, Wootton Wawen, Warwickshire, took the cash over a period of two to three years while principal of Michael Lee & Co, based in Coventry Road, Small Heath, Birmingham. |
IC Birmingham | 14 Aug 2004 |
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'Incompetent' solicitor suspended over errors AN INCOMPETENT solicitor who made a series of blunders involving clients' money has been suspended from the profession indefinitely. Simon Cannon, 44, ended up closing down his firm after encountering severe financial and personal problems. |
IC Surreyonline | 13 Aug 2004 |
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Debtors circle law man's home A DISGRACED solicitor's home is finally set to go on the market to pay back money he owes to former clients. |
03 Aug 2004 |
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Solicitor took eight years to pay charity its cash A SOLICITOR took so long to deal with a charity donation that his client died before the matter was resolved, a tribunal heard. |
IC SurreyOnline | 29 Jun 2004 |
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News update on Solicitor David Gatherer A Law Society spokesman said after the trail (sic): "Gatherer has badly let down his profession. The public is entitled to the highest standards of integrity from a solicitor. (Hmm...UJ) |
IC Newcastle | 19 Jun 2004 |
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Solicitor lied about 'cashback' scheme, tribunal hears. A SOLICITOR lied to another lawyer when he helped organise an astonishing £2.5 million 'cashback' scheme, a tribunal heard on Thursday. Richard Caplan, 51, claimed he had checked that the offer was backed by insurers when it wasn't. |
Harrow Times | 17 Jun 2004 |
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Asylum case lawyers milk legal aid. Abuse by solicitors is revealed as so widespread and costly that the government plans to launch its own service. Jamie Wilson and Alan Travis detail the extent of overcharging and exploitation. |
Guardian | 16 Jun 2004 |
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"Mr Clean" barrister accused of £1 million fraud. A barrister appointed by the Association of British Travel Agents to root out corruption in the travel industry has been charged with, errr, fraud. Defrauding his employers of £1 million, to be exact. Riccardo Nardi is now looking at an all-inclusive package deal of 23 criminal charges... |
Roll on Friday | 04 Jun 2004 |
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Solicitor stole clients' cash A SUNDERLAND solicitor has been
struck-off after stealing £114,355 from clients, a tribunal heard. |
04 Jun 2004 |
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Dossier of shame tells of evil web. A SECRET dossier linked to a murdered police informer names criminals, corrupt police and a lawyer in a string of drug, bribery and murder plots. A PROMINENT solicitor acted as a bagman to bribe detectives to reduce charges against two alleged drug dealers linked to Hodson. |
01 Jun 2004 |
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Fast-lane lawyer on more fraud charges. High-flying Peppermint Grove lawyer Rohan Skea will be charged tomorrow with another 23 counts of fraud over more than $7 million he allegedly swindled out of several finance companies. |
26 May 2004 |
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Theft solicitor barred from job. A Shropshire solicitor convicted of theft and forgery has been struck off by a disciplinary panel. Andrew Nicholls, who was a partner at the firm Dakin Nicholls of Shifnal, was given a three-month suspended jail term by Telford magistrates last year. |
24 May 2004 |
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Ban for 'crusader' who gave hope to mis-selling victims A solicitor who gave endowment mortgage victims hopes of a legal route to compensation has been banned from practicing for a year. Joseph Aaron, from Ilford, Essex ...Joseph Aaron says he was "properly regulated by the Law Society" and was not obliged to reveal his disciplinary record. |
23 May 2004 |
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Solicitor is struck off for dishonesty. A NORTH Wales solicitor and former Bangor City chairman was struck off yesterday amid allegations of dishonesty. John Ross-Jones, 59, of Dolwyddelan, Conwy, was alleged to have misused clients' money and not paid it into proper accounts. |
21 May 2004 |
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Third Lawyer Charged with Laundering Drug Money. A third
solicitor has been charged with laundering drugs cash, police revealed
today. |
21 May 2004 |
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Albury solicitor jailed. Mr Peter Lyle Sharp, a former solicitor from Albury, New South Wales (NSW), was sentenced today in the NSW District Court to five years jail with a non-parole period of three years in relation to 39 charges brought by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). Mr Sharp had earlier pleaded guilty to 16 charges under the Corporations Act of making improper use of his position as the director of Tietyens Investments Pty Ltd to gain an advantage directly or indirectly for himself, and 23 charges under the Crimes Act of New South Wales, of concurring in the making of false statements with intent to obtain a financial advantage. |
18 May 2004 |
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Ex-Banker's Scam Left Investors 'High and Dry' A former banker masterminded an “elaborate” international charade that fed on “human frailties”, dealt in deceit and made millions, a court heard today. In the dock with Martin Gibbins, 41, of Robins Nest Hill, Little Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, are Imdab Ullah, a 35-year-old financial consultant from Aberdeen Place, St John’s Wood, north west London, and solicitors Michael Wilson-Smith, 59, who lives in Dane Hill, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, Peter Barnett, 48, of Birchanger Lane, Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire, and Minesh Ruparelia, 38, from Broxburn Close, Leicester. |
12 May 2004 |
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Police raid solicitors' office. Officers from the Scottish Drugs Enforcement Agency targeted the offices of Chris Sayer solicitors in connection with a crackdown on career criminal Alexander Donnelly. |
12 May 2004 |
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Ledward victims face legal bills. Thirty-seven women who claimed they were sexually assaulted by the disgraced gynaecologist Rodney Ledward have been left with large legal bills. Mistakes by solicitor Jane Loveday resulted in their High Court bid for compensation collapsing in January. |
11 May 2004 |
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Solicitor branded incompetent by High Court judge. Abbot Ozuzu was reported to the Legal Services Commission by a High Court judge because his work was "not competent". |
10 May 2004 |
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Crooked lawyer's appeal rejected. A Solicitor jailed for eight years for crimes including fleecing more than £300,000 from clients has been denied leave to appeal against his sentence....all cases of theft by solicitors resulted in considerable damage to public confidence in the legal system but this was a particularly bad case. |
09 May 2004 |
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Jail for solicitor who lied.
A city solicitor has been jailed for lying to the police. |
08 May 2004 |
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Lawyer in cash probe suspended. A LAWYER who
admitted a string of charges was suspended indefinitely at a disciplinary
hearing. |
07 May 2004 |
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Solicitor struck off for swindling clients. A solicitor who stole a million pounds by swindling clients out of money from compensation claims has been struck off. Dmytro Torkoniak lied to the victims of accidents and illness about the amount of compensation they'd been awarded. |
07 May 2004 |
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Jail for solicitor who robbed clients. A YORKSHIRE solicitor was beginning a two-and-a-half year jail sentence today for plundering more than £114,000 from client accounts. Timothy Farrant, 52, siphoned the money over nine years while a partner at Pinkney Grunwells in Scarborough. |
01 May 2004 |
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Judge Halts Asylum Case to Report 'Incompetent' Solicitors.
A High Court judge dramatically halted a hearing today and reported an
“incompetent” firm of solicitors dealing with an asylum seeker to the body
which administers the legal aid system. |
28 Apr 2004 |
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Solicitors' accounts a mess.
TWO Liverpool solicitors who allowed their busy firm's accounts to become a
"complete mess" were fined a total of £8,000 yesterday. |
28 Apr 2004 |
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Hearing told of four-year delay in dealing with will. A CHESHIRE solicitor who delayed
properly dealing with a will for four years was fined £3,000 yesterday. |
28 Apr 2004 |
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Lawyers arrested in cash probe. Five people, including two solicitors and an accountant, have been arrested in connection with money laundering and deception offences. |
26 Apr 2004 |
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Action over double-charging lawyers. Scores of solicitors have been removed from an approved Government list after failing to respond to calls to refund overpayments to miners involved in health claims, it has been revealed. |
25 Apr 2004 |
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Crooked city solicitor is struck off. A CROOKED Sheffield lawyer who pocketed hundreds of pounds of homebuyers' cash has been struck off the solicitors' roll. Paul Bateman, aged 35, a former partner at city centre firm Cunnington's on Trippet Lane, may now face a police investigation into his dishonesty. |
22 Apr 2004 |
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Disgraced lawyer new council head. THE wealthiest Aboriginal land council in NSW has appointed as its chief executive disgraced barrister Paul Coe, who was paid thousands of dollars by the same organisation for legal advice although he had been struck off. |
22 Apr 2004 |
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White & Case lawyer imprisoned for fraud A former White & Case lawyer has been sent to a boot camp in Buffalo after stealing over $111,000 from the firm. Jennifer Hampton pleaded guilty to first degree fraud and second degree grand larceny... |
The Lawyer (com) |
20 Apr 2004 |
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Lawyer accused of legal aid fraud. A LAWYER exposed in a Manchester Evening News investigation has been accused of 10 cases of legal aid fraud and of using a false university degree certificate when applying to be a solicitor. Liaqat Malik, 46,... |
16 Apr 2004 |
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'Dog's dinner' costs solicitor his job. A bungling solicitor who admitted making "a dog's dinner" of a road accident case, leaving three injured women with nominal damages of £1 each, was struck off yesterday. Kevin Nutt, 43,... |
16 Apr 2004 |
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Solicitor Bailed on Drugs Cash Laundering Charges
A solicitor and a legal representative appeared in
court today charged with laundering drugs cash. |
15 Apr 2004 |
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Wait goes on for Lawyer's Victims. Most of the victims of a Derby solicitor who conned clients and taxpayers out of nearly £1m are still waiting for their money back - more than two years after his arrest. |
14 Apr 2004 |
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Solicitor struck off for misconduct Former Sutherland lawyer Mark Sutherland-Fisher, North Cadboll House, North Cadboll, Fearn, has been struck off the Roll of Solicitors in Scotland, it emerged this week. |
02 Apr 2004 |
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Solicitors charged after inquiry A former president of Burnley Law Society has been accused of money laundering and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Basil Dearing (Now cleared), 60, of Lower Chapel Lane, Grindleton, Lancashire, was charged on Tuesday as part of a National Crime Squad investigation. Solicitor, 53-year-old John Broughton of Pasture Drive in Colne, was charged with the same offences. Eight other people have been charged with similar offences. John Broughton cleared 26 July 2005 |
01 Apr 2004 |
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Probe into law firm. "A report into the circumstances surrounding the forced closure of Gidley and Company, of Stainland Road, should go before the Law Society next month." |
Huddersfield Daily Examiner | 23 Mar 2004 |
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Profit built on lies. A crooked Birmingham solicitor
involved in a series of fraudulent mortgage deals which made a fortune for
his client has been kicked out of the profession. |
IC Birmingham | 18 Mar 2004 |
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Conman lawyer jailed for fraud A lawyer who admitted defrauding clients out of nearly £700,000 has been jailed for six-and-a-half years. |
BBC | 18 Mar 2004 |
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Solicitor in court for theft of clients' cash. "Tim Farrant, 52, a former partner in Scarborough law firm Grunwells, yesterday appeared at York Crown Court to plead guilty to nine charges of theft." |
Yorkshire post | 16 Mar 2004 |
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Solicitor in fraud probe. Mystery surrounds the identity of a Teifi Valley solicitor under investigation over an alleged fraud. |
Carmarthen Journal | 11 Mar 2004 |
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Solicitor In Cash Probe AN Ulster solicitor is at the centre of a probe by the Northern Ireland Law Society, it can be revealed today. It is investigating what it describes as "substantial financial irregularities" at the practice of Damian Murray & Co Solicitors in Belfast. |
IC Northern Ireland | 11 Mar 2004 |
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Lawyer stole from dead A solicitor has been jailed for four years for stealing more than £278,000 from dead clients to fund his comfortable lifestyle. |
28 Feb 2004 |
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Solicitor Suspected of Smuggling Illegal Immigrants into the Country The lawyer was stopped last night by detectives at Dover, with four Romanian nationals in his car returning from France. |
28 Feb 2004 |
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Ex-con lawyer struck off A CONVICTED murderer who qualified as a solicitor has been kicked out of the profession for trying to kill his wife. Incredibly, Law Society officials were convinced he was safe to work as a lawyer following his release on life licence after he knifed a 17-year-old to death on a dance floor. (Well, the Law Society's not fussy about who it lets in, is it? UJ) |
27 Feb 2004 |
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Sentencing of Former Solicitor Deferred Again A former solicitor who stole £667,000 from his clients will have to wait a further three weeks to learn his fate, a court ruled today. |
26 Feb 2004 |
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He kept swiping clients' money</ | ||