Lawyer guilty of professional misconduct

A SOLICITOR whose practice was recently closed down by the Law Society has been found guilty of professional misconduct following a disciplinary hearing.

Ciaran Callan was yesterday censured and fined €2,500 by the Solicitor’s Disciplinary Tribunal, the independent statutory body which investigates complaints of misconduct against solicitors.

Callan, who formerly practised as Callan & Co Solicitor, Riverbank House, Dodder Park Drive in Rathfarnham, Co Dublin, was also ordered to pay the costs of the hearing.

Tribunal chairwoman Maeve Hayes said Callan had been found guilty of professional misconduct under the Solicitors Acts for failing to keep his accounts up to date since April 2006.

A lawyer representing Callan said his client wished to apologise for the fact that the case had come before the tribunal.

Callan was confirmed earlier this week as the third solicitor who had ceased to practise in recent months following investigations by the Law Society.

Last Monday, the High Court heard that Callan had undertaken not to practice as a solicitor after it emerged that there was an alleged deficit of almost €2 million in client accounts at one stage.

The Law Society was granted a court order freezing Callan’s accounts amid ongoing concern about the precise deficit in the solicitor’s funds.

Callan has admitted that he had concealed deficits by hiding the loss of one client’s monies by replacing the sum with another’s client’s funds.

The former Leinster rugby player and coach, who developed a large practice in conveyancing, is due back before the High Court next Monday.