High Court suspends solicitor on dishonesty charges

The High Court has suspended a solicitor from practice after he was found guilty of dishonesty by the Law Society.

An investigation uncovered a €600,000 hole in the client accounts of William Early Solicitors in Carlow and JM McEvoy and Company in Gorey, Co Wexford.

Both practices are run by Declan J McEvoy who the court heard fully accepted the findings of the Law Society and did not attempt to lie at an emergency meeting last week.

The deficit in his firm's client accounts is €635,000 and money appears to have been misappropriated.

Some was used to pay his professional indemnity insurance, capital acquisitions tax and barristers fees.

An unregistered mortgage of €297,000 was also secured on a Castleknock property owned by his mother and sister.

When it was sold the proceeds ended up in the solicitor's practice.

Staff at the firms have been let go and the court heard Mr McEvoy understands he cannot work as a solicitor again.

He has been suspended from practice and his firm's assets have been frozen.