An Ennis solicitor stole €149,830 from 11 clients over a five-year period “in a robbing Peter to pay Paul’ enterprise, Ennis Circuit Court heard today.

A finding of professional misconduct has been upheld against celebrity solicitor Gerald Kean for trying to "cover up" a mistake he had made in a client's case.

The High Court today struck off solicitor Thomas Byrne and fined him €1m following an investigation into his finances which found he owed almost €57m to financial institutions.