High Court upholds misconduct finding against solicitor but quashes €20k fine

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.

However, the President of the High Court has quashed a recommendation that the lawyer be fined €20,000.

Gerald Kean is a well known figure outside legal circles having appeared on television shows like Celebrity Bainisteoir.

The lawyer was not in court for today's ruling upholding last May's finding of professional misconduct by the Solicitors' Disciplinary Tribunal.

It concluded that, having failed to act on the instructions of a former client, he tried to cover up his mistake and misled the client into believing he had lodged an appeal from a District Court judgment when he had not.

High Court President Nicholas Kearns found this deception to be a "grave matter".

However, he quashed a proposed €20,000 fine, concluding that the finding of misconduct was harsh enough to be "sorely felt" by Gerald Kean as a well-known figure and source of media interest.