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GAZETTE
MWH
DECEMBER 1993
Annual Report of the Disciplinary
Committee 1992/1993
New Applications to Disciplinary Committee
26
Law Society
Prima facie cases found
5
At Hearing
Misconduct
1
No misconduct
2
Adjourned
2
Private
Prima facie case found
9
Prima facie case not found
12
At Hearing
Misconduct
1
No misconduct
5
Adjourned
2
Date for inquiry to be arranged
1
Applications From Previous Year
Law Society
At Hearing
Misconduct
Leave to withdraw after
inquiry directed
Adjourned generally
Adjourned
22
15
Private
At Hearing
Misconduct
No misconduct
Adjourned
The Disciplinary Committee met on
17 occasions between 1 September,
1992 and 31 August, 1993.
The applications shown above were
considered by the Committee during
this period:-
Subject Matters of Complaints
• Civil Claims
• Conveyancing
• Probate
• Solicitors' Accounts Regulations
Main Grounds on which the
Committee Found Misconduct
!
Each complaint contained a number
j
of these grounds:
j
• Allowing a deficit to arise on a
j
client account.
I
• Misappropriating clients' monies
j
and utilising the monies for
personal benefit.
• Making false and inaccurate entries
j
in the books of account in order to
j
conceal the deficit arising from the
j
misappropriation of clients' funds.
• Allowing debit balances to arise on
a client account.
• Making a false statement to a bank
manager.
• Deliberately misleading and
making false representations to the
Society's Investigating Accountant
in order to conceal
misappropriation of funds.
• Not maintaining proper books of
account.
• Delaying in processing a personal
injury claim and allowing the claim
to become statute barred.
• Failing to take proper action on
behalf of clients in relation to their
civil claims.
• Failing to adequately supervise his
office and the attention to work by
his unqualified staff.
• Delaying in handing over a file to a
complainant.
• Failing to carry out the instructions
of the complainants to complete the
registration of the complainants'
title.
• Delaying in the registration of his
client's title.
• Misleading clients and the Society.
• Causing serious material loss and
inconvenience to the complainants
by failing to complete their
instructions.
• Delaying in the extraction of a
Grant of Probate.
• Failing to respond to enquiries
raised by the executor.
• Failing to furnish any report to the
complainant or to give any reason
for the delay in the extraction of a
grant of Probate.
409