David Lyons

Lyons Laing & Co

5 George Square, Greenock

This former Law Society Council member, who was also convener of the Society’s Judicial Procedure Committee no less, was found guilty of serious professional misconduct after being caught plundering a dead client's estate. (para 6.2 of the SSDT judgement). He was also found guilty of misconduct on several other counts. We've received numerous complaints about this crook who enjoyed Law Society protection for many years.

The SSDT judgement against Lyons runs to 26 pages and is a catalogue of perversion and obfuscation. He cost both the taxpayer and legal profession many thousands of pounds with his devious efforts to escape the consequences of his misconduct.

And he succeeded. Incredibly, Lyons was fined a paltry £1,000.

The full judgement can be found on the Scottish Solicitors Discipline Tribunal (SSDT) website by CLICKING HERE

Robert Thomas

Robert Thomas & Caplan

and

Campbell Sievewright & Co

Glasgow

Robert Thomas admitted serious professional misconduct after being caught laundering the proceeds from drug trafficking. Unbelievably, he escaped with a £5,000 fine and is still allowed to work as a solicitor. Click Here to read the Sunday Mail article.

Senior members of the legal profession, including a former Law Society president, provided testimonials to the Disciplinary Tribunal supporting this notoriously crooked solicitor. Two of Thomas's close colleagues, John Aitken and Michael Rourke, were also recently found guilty of professional misconduct.

So to all you drug dealers reading this page, Rab's your man if you need some cash laundered and you can sleep easy in the knowledge that he's protected by the very echelons of Scotland's legal profession.

The full judgement can be found on the Scottish Solicitors Discipline Tribunal (SSDT) website by Clicking Here

100 Pendeen Rd, Glasgow

& Stirlingshire

This bankrupt misappropriated large sums of money from trusting clients, mainly from the proceeds of house sales. One of Murray's victims, a grown man in his forties, broke down in tears when telling us about Murray's misdeeds. He also says the Law Society did absolutely nothing to help. The Guarantee Fund has also refused to reimburse Murray's victims, despite purporting to do so.

2005 - SACL coordinator Stuart Usher gave evidence against Murray at the SSDT, who found this crook guilty of "misappropriating clients' monies". Many of our readers, including accountants and doctors, mistakenly believe lawyers who engage in such misconduct are struck off. Murray wasn't struck off. He received a worthless 3-year "practising restriction". We predicted that Murray would continue fleecing unsuspecting clients. Sadly our predictions were well-founded....

2007 - Once again, Murray is found guilty of serious professional misconduct. And yet again, he receives a slap on the wrist. This is verbatim from the SSDT:

Professional misconduct in respect of his misrepresentation, deception and misleading of his client in relation to his status by failing to advise his client that he was sequestrated and that his practising certificate had been suspended all contrary to Article 7 of the Code of Conduct for solicitors holding practising certificates issued by the Law Society of Scotland in 2002; Suspend the Respondent from practice for a period of five years.

Evidence of these offences can be found on the SSDT website - just search under his surname.

John MacMillan

MacRoberts

152 Bath St, Glasgow

www.macroberts.co.uk

Helped protect Messrs Anderson Fyfe from a costly professional negligence claim by deliberately misleading the client on his true legal position. In 2004 MacRoberts covertly tried to shut down this entire website. It would be fair to say that certain lawyers from this firm are not only crooked, but cowardly also.

Rosslyn Mitchell, Taylor & Ramsay

4 Lynedoch Crescent, Glasgow

Found guilty of professional misconduct in respect of his breach of Rule 7 of the Solicitors (Scotland) Practice Rules 1986, in relation to a shady property transaction resulting in an elderly lady victim. He was fined £2000.

Morag Campbell

McClure Naismith

St Vincent St, Glasgow

www.mcclurenaismith.com

Lied about her own involvement in a disastrous property deal. The client turned down a paltry compensation offer - containing standard secrecy clauses - on a point of principle.

Max McGill

Campbell Riddell Breeze Paterson

St Vincent St, Glasgow

Giffnock - Milngavie

2005 - SIX Campbell Riddell partners are found guilty by the Scottish Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal of "setting out to deceive" their client by "issuing a doctored version of his conveyancing opinion." Other senior lawyers, including two current Sheriff Principals and former Law Society president, Joe Platt, were also of the view that the six partners were guilty of serious professional misconduct.

2007 -The Court of Session overturns the SSDT judgement and accuses the Law Society prosecutor of misleading the Tribunal. The truth is he did no such thing. The law lords also ridiculed the Tribunal's understanding of the facts and the law. Once again, the sad truth is that it was the law lords themselves who were ignorant of the facts and the law. The effect of this judgement for the legal profession and clients is quite profound. Scotland's highest court is effectively saying to solicitors: "Hide from your client any documents owned by him, in order to protect your own legal position in preference to his."

A senior legal academic is now looking at all of the evidence, including the glaring omissions from the Court of Session judgement, such as a lack of reference to the Law of Agency, Fiduciary Duties, Solicitor/Client relationship - all of which were key to the SSDT finding of deceit. The Court of Session chose to ignore the law and the facts and blamed innocent lawyers and learned lay people who acted with integrity and sound judgement. A full case study will follow...

Richard Leggett

Campbell Riddell Breeze Paterson

See above

Donald McGillivray

Campbell Riddell Breeze Paterson

See above

Campbell Riddell Breeze Paterson

See above

Douglas Peters

Scottish Government Legal Directorate

Edinburgh

After a stint working alongside Nicandro Matteo at MFY Partnership, who was himself found guilty of professional misconduct in 2005, Peters now works for the Scottish government's 'Legal Directorate'.

Irene McGraw

MacRoberts

152 Bath St, Glasgow

www.macroberts.co.uk

The 6th Campbell Riddell partner and a Crookess of the highest order. Irene McGraw now works for MacRoberts but her clients and most of her colleagues are still unaware she was found guilty of deceit.

Failing to comply with Accounts Rules; to attend to clients' business; to respond to clients. 10-year suspension from practice.

Found guilty of Professional Misconduct despite the Law Society's shameless attempt to cover-up his treatment of a vulnerable female client. The legal misconduct perpetrated against this law-abiding, trusting lady has taken a terrible toll on her health.

Marie Land

29 Nicolson St , Greenock

Found guilty of Professional Misconduct for withholding clients' files and failing to respond to her clients' reasonable enquiries. Fined £1,000.

2007: Marie Land is once again found guilty of professional misconduct. Escapes with the usual slap-on-the-wrist.

Hunter & Robertson

35 High Street, Paisley

Long-term abuse of clients. Found guilty of professional misconduct on 2 separate occasions. Received a massive £750 fine.

Mactaggart & Co

Main Street, Largs

Found guilty of Professional Misconduct in relation to a fraud perpetrated against one his firm's clients. Despite being found guilty of professional misconduct on two previous occasions, this crooked lawyer was only censured ( a formal ticking-off).

Sole Practitioner

St Leonards, East Kilbride

Found guilty of professional misconduct by failing to progress Court actions which he had been instructed so to do by clients, his failure to progress instructions given to him by a client, his misleading clients, his unreasonably withdrawing from acting for a client, his failure to implement a mandate and his failure to respond to the reasonable requests of the Law Society for information. Suspended from practice for a period of two years despite 2 previous findings of misconduct.

Faulds, Gibson & Kennedy

23 Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow

www.fauldsgibson.com

Kennedy now works for Mitchells Roberton Solicitors Glasgow

For the past few years Ewan Kennedy has described his firm as being "one of the longest established law firms in the West of Scotland....1851” but, strangely, this is in direct contradiction to his stated defence when appearing before the Scottish Solicitors Discipline Tribunal on 30th July 1997. His initial defence spoke about the "former firm of Messrs Faulds, Gibson & Kennedy" and his defence agent, Mr Cockburn, also stated, "the firm of Faulds, Gibson & Kennedy had ceased on 25th April 1996 and it was therefore not open to the Law Society to impose a sanction on a firm which did not exist." So what in the world possessed Kennedy to describe his firm as being: "A long established practice...one of the longest established law firms in the West of Scotland.". The prospect of new clients perhaps? Clients who would be misled into thinking that Faulds Gibson was a long-established, stable law firm. In reality it was anything but.

Faulds Gibson recently merged with Mitchells Roberton, so Kennedy's falsehood will no doubt die along with his firm (which died once before, back in 1996!)

Nimmo, Thomson & McLean

Young Street, Wishaw

Found guilty of professional misconduct in respect of his unconscionable delay in carrying through the administration of two executry estates and his failure to reply to communications from the Law Society and others. He was Censured (a really, really harsh telling-off) and fined a colossal £500 - despite a previous finding of professional misconduct.

Messrs Reville & Co

Paisley

Found guilty of professional misconduct in respect of his breaches of the Solicitors (Scotland) Accounts Rules 1996 and 1997. Suspended from practice as a Solicitor for a period of 5 years.

formerly Peter McCann & Co

Glasgow

For many years, Peter McCann & Co perpetrated many fraudulent acts against trusting clients and innocent members of the public. Wilkie is yet another partner who was found guilty of professional misconduct.

Forrester & Co

Blantyre & Methil

Found guilty of professional misconduct in respect of his breach of Rules 4(1) and 12(1) of the Solicitors (Scotland) Accounts Rules 1995, 1996 and 1997, and also Rule 6(1) of the Solicitors (Scotland) Accounts Rules 1995. Suspended from practice for a period of 5 years.

Eastwoodmains Road,

Clarkston, Glasgow

Found guilty of professional misconduct on several counts, the most serious being:

"His acting in a manner that put his personal integrity in question by intimating in a letter that an application to the Scottish Solicitors Guarantee Fund had been rejected as not falling within the scheme when in fact the form had been rejected for different reasons. "

In simple terms he told a lie. But the legal profession make an absolute fortune out of making simple matters complex.

Mark Stalker

formerly Lyons Laing & Co

Greenock

Found guilty of professional misconduct in respect of his repeatedly misleading clients, his failure to progress business on behalf of clients, his failure in his representation of clients, his acting without clients’ instructions, his deceiving his employer, his misleading a fellow solicitor and his failure to reply to the reasonable enquiries made of him by the Law Society; Censure the Respondent and any practising certificate will limit him to acting as a qualified assistant for an aggregate period of at least five years.

Cartys

Larkhall

Found guilty of professional misconduct in respect of:
7.1 His failure to progress an action of divorce on behalf of his client,
Eileen Munro, in an expeditious manner.
7.2 His misleading his client, Eileen Munro, by assuring her that he
was progressing an action of divorce on her behalf when, in fact,
this was completely untrue.

“The Respondent’s actions had clearly caused his client a great deal of distress“

Park Hutchison

Glasgow

Found guilty of professional misconduct in respect of his mistreatment of over TWENTY different clients. In mitigation Park claimed he was 'suffering from a mental illness' during this period of client abuse.

The SSDT fell for it hook, line and sinker and sentenced Park to just 5 years as a Qualified Assistant. So Park is free to continue working as a lawyer, albeit in a 'supervised' capacity.

Anne Frances Wilson

McLeish Carswell

St Vincent Pl & Admiral St

Glasgow

www.mclc-law.co.uk

"...a traditional Family Firm for a large number of our clients who respect our
values" - according to the McLeish Carswell website

Senior Partner, Anne Wilson, pled guilty to professional misconduct after her firm took a staggering 17 years to wind up an estate. Yes, SEVENTEEN YEARS! In a devious attempt to avoid the consequences of her misconduct, Wilson blamed a crook who had previously worked for her firm and resorted to other shameless legal chicanery. And like many other well-connected lawyers on this page her scheming efforts paid off, as she escaped with only a censure (a professional telling off).

Serious as the Disciplinary Tribunal findings against Wilson were, it was noted that much more solemn charges of dishonesty were dropped in return for a guilty plea. The actions of Sean Lynch, the Law Society prosecutor involved in cutting Wilson this fantastic deal, is under investigation by SACL - as is the activities of his Ayrshire law firm, McCluskey Browne.

Click Here to read the SSDT findings against Wilson and her 'traditional Family Firm'.

O’Donnell & Co

Clarkston Rd, Glasgow

This serial crook was found guilty of professional misconduct in respect of his numerous breaches of accounting and money laundering rules. In mitigation, O'Donnell claimed his mental illness was responsible for his actions. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal agreed - and duly fined him a massive £500.

But don't worry folks! According to O'Donnell's psychiatrist, he has now fully recovered. So we won't be getting any more reports about trusting clients getting well and truly shafted?

Click Here to read a Sunday Mail story about O'Donnell or Click Here to read the SSDT Findings.

David Henry Houldsworth

Brodies Solicitors perpetrated a multi-million pound fraud against the Usher Family. Key players in this fraud were Thomas Greig Dempster WS (now deceased), Logan McLure WS (now deceased) and Hugh John Stevens.

Click Here to read more...

Ian Wilson Leitch

This sorry excuse for a human being took advantage of an 85-year-old woman by persuading her to lend him £100,000 - contrary to just about every rule in the book. He then stalled on repaying her. Found guilty of professional misconduct in that he acted in breach of Rule 9 of the Solicitors (Scotland) Accounts Rules 1992 and paragraph 2 of the Code of Conduct for Scottish Solicitors. Incredibly, our legal authorities suspended this solicitor from practice for just 2 YEARS

2005: He was convicted yet again of professional misconduct and, once again, given another slap on the wrist.

Evidence of these offences can be found on the SSDT website - just search under his surname.

James Douglas Keegan

Solicitor Advocate – former Temporary Sheriff – Law Society Council member Convicted Crook – Self-confessed Liar

In 2000 the DTI prosecuted Jim Keegan. The Court of Session ruled he was 'involved in fraudulent conduct' and banned him from being a company director for 3 years. He was involved in other shady business dealings and on one occasion was forced to admit, under oath, that he “did not always tell the truth”.

But here's the rub: Throughout this time the Law Society did absolutely nothing about Keegan. This is hardly surprising as Keegan was a Law Society Council member at the time!

William Carstairs Stevens

Bennett & Robertson solicitors engaged in many criminal acts against trusting clients. William Stevens was one partner who stole money from 7 different clients and was sentenced to 4 years Imprisonment. He was - eventually - struck off.

Gordon Innes 

This former Bennett & Robertson partner covered up criminal acts committed by his fellow partners.

Louise Hay

Criminal convictions for defrauding the Inland Revenue and forgery. Click Here for more.....

2005: Dundee Sheriff Court fined Hay a paltry £750 for this fraud. Ordinary citizens receive lengthy jail sentences on being convicted of such serious acts of criminal dishonesty.

2006: Amazingly, Scotland's legal authorities allow Hay to keep her practising certificate and she is now free to continue working as a lawyer.

George Lee McQuitty

Found guilty of professional misconduct in respect of his acting in a dishonest fashion by charging fees which were grossly excessive, unreasonable, unfair and overstated, all in breach of Articles 6 and 7 of the Code of Conduct for Solicitors. Fined £3,000 and suspended from practice for a period of two years. Incredibly, this crooked solicitor who effectively stole £28,000 from an executry estate sat on the Scottish Parliament's Cross-Party Group on Sport. SACL have received several complaints about this crook.

Neil Alexander McIntosh Mowat

Professional Misconduct on 3 counts and providing clients with an "inadequate professional service" on 8 separate counts - he was sentenced to just 2 years as a Qualified Assistant. Christine Grahame MSP, former convener of parliament's 'Justice' Committee, worked for this crooked law firm.

 Michael McNiven

Also found guilty of Professional Misconduct and sentenced to 3 years in restricted practice as a qualified assistant. Recently avoided a jail sentence following a 3rd drink-driving conviction. Close colleague of Christine Grahame MSP.

John Raymund Macdonald

Several failures in 6 conveyancing transactions, willfully tendering inaccurate, evasive and misleading information to other solicitors.

 Alan McFarlane

Colluded with other crooked solicitors to defraud a client. Now suffers from memory loss.  

 David Kidd

Conveniently 'lost' a client's file containing documentary evidence incriminating Biggart Baillie colleague, Alan McFarlane (above), in a scheme to defraud a client. When challenged about this fraud, Kidd claimed he was “as mystified as anyone” as to how it came about his firm had issued a doctored 2nd version of a client's conveyancing opinion. However, 2 years later, in a meeting with Alan McFarlane, his memory suddenly returned! He told McFarlane he remembered exactly "how it came about" his firm had issued the 2nd version.

Julian Danskin

This paedophile lawyer served a paltry 9 MONTHS in prison for abusing young boys in his care. One of his victims committed suicide, meanwhile the others continue to serve life sentences. Two thiefs who blackmailed Danskin received 10 YEARS in jail. Scotland's courts routinely protect child abusers and crooked lawyers - but are merciless when dealing with petty offenders and legal profession whistleblowers.

Douglas Ronald Blakey

This law firm also actively employ crooked lawyers. Mr Blakey was found guilty of professional misconduct in respect of a criminal conviction of dishonesty, namely of uttering as genuine two mandates authorising the transfer of Legal Aid Certificates in the name of another solicitor into his name, the signature on one of said mandates being forged and in the case of the other mandate both the signature and date being forged. NO jail sentence and a derisory 2 year practising restriction.

Duncan Reid Maclennan

Found guilty of professional misconduct in respect of his breaches of the Solicitors (Scotland) Accounts Rules 1992; received a 10-year practising restriction.

Nigel Rodney Duncan

 Lies to his trusting clients. Found guilty of professional misconduct.

Valerie Elaine McKenzie MacAdam

Found guilty of professional misconduct in respect of her breach of Rules 11(3), 12, 13 and 15 of the Solicitors (Scotland) Accounts Rules 1997, her breach of Rules 4, 8 and 11 of the Solicitors (Scotland) Accounts Etc Fund Rules 2001 and her delay in recording Standard Securities and Discharges of Standard Securities and delay in presenting Deeds for stamping. Sentenced to 6 years as a qualified assistant.

Alistair Iain MacDonald

Found guilty on 2 separate occasions of professional misconduct. Offences include: misleading clients; delay and failure to fully implement a mandate; failure to reply to correspondence from fellow agents; delay in recording a standard security; his accepting responsibility for preparing a fresh ranking agreement and failure to pay additional fees incurred by other solicitors; Sentenced to 5 years as a qualified assistant.

John Desmond Francis Chute

Found guilty of professional misconduct in respect of his failure to respond timeously, openly and accurately to the reasonable enquires made of him by the Law Society concerning the affairs of a client despite repeated reminders to him; Only received a Censure despite 2 previous findings of professional misconduct.

Richard John Hogarth Hetherington

Found guilty of professional misconduct in respect of his failure to respond to reasonable enquiries made of him and his failure to settle professional fees and accounts; Censured and subject to a 2 year restriction limiting him to acting only as a qualified assistant.He was also a procurator fiscal for 5 years.

Kenneth Robert Anderson

Found guilty of professional misconduct in that he misled many innocent clients, issued false extract decrees and "intercepted mail addressed to another". In layman's terms he's a liar and a thief.

Miss Joan F. Matthew

Found guilty of professional misconduct by allowing 2 elderly clients to leave their houses, as part of their wills, to both herself and her office staff, contrary to section 2 of the code of conduct. She then deliberately misled the bereaved family on the circumstances surrounding the formalisation of the will. This crooked lawyer landed a superb result at the Scottish Solicitors Discipline Tribunal - receiving a censure and paltry £1,000 fine.

Louise Ranee Koulaouzos

Guilty of Professional Misconduct in respect of her preparation of a Will on behalf of a client which conferred upon her a significant monetary benefit.

Despite being found guilty, Koulaouzos got to keep the money!

Avoid this law firm at all costs.

Alan Jackson

"Quality advice and client care are what drive us at Keegan Walker, underpinned by rigorous standards of professional conduct. " Michael McMenamin - Senior Partner, KW Law

But McMenamin forgot to mention his firm employ Alan Jackson, a crooked lawyer who admitted breaking basic accounting rules in relation to more than 20 clients - some of them elderly. Jackson managed to cut a great deal with the Law Society, pleading guilty (a.k.a. entering a joint minute) and receiving a worthless 5 year "practising restriction". He was represented by none other than McMenamin, who was a serving Law Society committee member. Very handy indeed. Full details of Jackson's misconduct is available on the SSDT website - just Click Here.

Charles William Pagan

This firm has a long history of stealing from trusting clients.

Ormistons Law Practice

Glenrothes

Forging signatures on a standard security; misleading clients - received a 3-year suspension. Little formerly worked for Paisley law firm Robertson & Ross who are now the subject of a police investigation into allegations of fraud. Click Here for more.

Dick Sandeman is a serial crook with at least two previous findings of serious professional misconduct. In 2007 he was found guilty of misleading his client by advising his client by letter that his Appeal had not been able to get through the sift when the true position was that the Appeal was out of time and the Respondent knew that no sift had taken place. He was fined £1500 for this falsehood.

Sandeman is the current treasurer of the Falkirk Faculty of Solicitors.

George Raymond Morton

Raymond Morton is a former Dean of the Falkirk Faculty of Solicitors who, like many of his fellows exposed on this page, is a lawyer with no conscience.
Morton and his firm, Marshall Wilson, were quite content to involve themselves in a blatant conflict of interest situation which had life-changing consequences for a trusting client and his family. In the words of the Law Society Qualified Reporter who recommended that Morton be prosecuted for his actions:

‘Given the clarity of the conflict situation, then there is moreover no evidence of any detailed and reasoned written advice to the clients on their options, and the unfortunate consequences for Mr and Mrs Davidson, I feel I must recommend that the Society make a complaint in respect of Mr Morton’s conduct to the Scottish Solicitors Discipline Tribunal.’

The clients received a pittance in compensation from Morton’s firm, which didn’t even come close to covering their losses. Investigations into Raymond Morton and Marshall Wilson are still ongoing.

Adrian John Fraser

Before joining the Procurator Fiscal's office in Edinburgh, Fraser worked in private practice in the Falkirk area. It was during this time that he tried to cover up his poor handling of a client's negligence claim. The client in question is a victim not only of Fraser, but of Raymond Morton, the lawyer named above. To say this poor chap and his family have had a rotten deal from lawyers is a considerable understatement and despite 'winning' at nearly every turn he was never fully compensated.

Click Here to read an article in the Sunday Mail entitled: 'Lying Fiscal Ruined My Life'.

William Michael Lewis

Gilmore Lewis

Hope Park Terrace, Edinburgh

Found guilty of professional misconduct in the following terms:

8.1 His persistent failure to timeously record dispositions
8.2 His persistent failure to timeously record standard securities
relative to said dispositions
8.3 His persistent failure to timeously record discharges of
standard securities
8.4 His failure to respond to the reasonable requests of the Law
Society for information
8.5 His failure to keep his client fully informed with regard to
the sale of heritable property or to respond to the reasonable enquiries of his client in relation to the matter. Fined £7,500.

John Taylor

MacLachlan & MacKenzie

Walker St , Edinburgh

www.macmac.com

In 2005 John Taylor was found guilty of serious professional misconduct. His offences included multiple breaches of strict solicitors' accounts rules, which are in place to protect clients. Taylor knowingly disregarded these rules and his misconduct was so serious that he even debited clients for fees without rendering fee notes. In effect, he treated his clients’ cash as his own.

Crooked Taylor narrowly avoided being struck off; was fined £5000 and made the subject of a 5-year 'practising restriction'. In theory, he is supposed to be supervised by partners at MacLachlan and MacKenzie, the law firm where he now works. The senior partners there are fully aware of his shady past - but for their own selfish reasons have chosen to conceal this from current and prospective clients.

Alexander Ritchie Robertson

Found guilty of serious professional misconduct on several counts; including acting dishonestly and, in cahoots with other partners at Thorntons, his then law firm, acting in 'multiple conflicts of interest'. This legal conspiracy involves not only Robertson and his partners in crime at Thorntons - but members of Scotland's Judiciary also.

Click Here to read the SSDT findings against Robertson and Thorntons. Note how the SSDT allowed Robertson to plead guilty to 'reduced charges' and how other more senior partners in Thorntons (protected by the Law Society) ''were involved'.

FOUR judges at the Court of Session CLEARED Thorntons Solicitors of 'any wrongdoing' in 2004. Yet when Robertson appeared before the SSDT in late 2007, he was forced to plead guilty in a desperate attempt to avoid being struck off for dishonesty. The judges, in their wisdom, conveniently failed to address the misconduct perpetrated by the Thorntons' partners against their trusting client; misconduct which was, of course, CENTRAL to the client's civil case against Thorntons. This fact speaks volumes for our claim that judges protect crooked lawyers who work for certain 'chosen' law firms, such as Thorntons. We can also reveal that one of the judges, Lord Marnoch, 'goes fishing' with the senior partner. Judicial conflict of interest is an alien concept to these individuals who have shown, once again, that they are not only the most powerful people in Scotland - but the least accountable.

THE TIME TAKEN SO FAR FOR THIS CASE IS 13 YEARS. Fantastic. Scottish Justice at its finest. Many thanks must go to Law Society Golden Boy, Professor Stewart Brymer, who is Thorntons' 'inside man' at the Law Society of Scotland. Will Brymer admit that dirty deeds took place within his firm in the nineties - and that by defending these actions today the current partners will be seen to condone dishonesty?

Thorntons Solicitors are crooks who should not be trusted.

Robertson is no longer a partner in Thorntons and has set-up his own firm Robertson Smith Solicitors, 148 Nethergate, Dundee.

Robert Alistair Young

Senior partner in Grigor & Young who "knowingly presented formal documents to court and an insurance company containing dishonest information". Received a £10,000 fine and was allowed to keep his practising certificate. This case is yet another example of how Scotland's courts and legal authorities protect lawyers from the consequences of serious professional misconduct.

Incredibly, his firm represented Scotland's rural solicitors in relation to the Legal Profession and Legal Aid Bill. Several partners in this law firm sent in plagiarised submissions to parliament commenting on the Bill.

Click Here to read the SSDT findings against this protected crook.

Peter James Liddell

Liddell's former law firm betrayed vulnerable clients and stole from them. As senior partner, Liddell also failed to disclose his firm's true capital position during an audit of his firm's accounts. Exploitation of clients included conveniently “losing” important files and paperwork.

Liddell is also a fomer Law Society Council member for the Dundee Area and this perhaps explains why he was able to get away with so much for so long. He no longer holds a practising certificate but this by no means guarantees that the public is safe from his corrupt activities.

Frank Lefevre

This crook and his "No Win - No Fee" scam has come to our attention before. In 2001 Frank Lefevre was found guilty of 'losing' his client's file AND Court Process. This misconduct conveniently protected Lefevre from any potential professional negligence action raised against him by his client.

Click Here to read the Law Society's Findings.

Lefevre is a former member of the Council of the Law Society of Scotland.

Patrick John Angus

This crooked solicitor admitted plundering thousands from the executry estates of dead clients. So he was jailed and struck off right? Wrong. He was given a £10,000 fine and allowed to continue working as a solicitor. For readers still sceptical of our claim that Scotland's legal authorities routinely protect crooked lawyers who defraud vulnerable clients we recommend you read the Tribunal's shocking judgment in this case. It's 17 pages long, can be read on the SSDT website and is guaranteed to make your hair stand on end! Click Here to read the SSDT findings against this crook.

John Michael Cowan

Failing to confer with beneficiaries of an executry estate and to correspond with others - sentenced to 5 years as a Qualified Assistant.

Another crooked Condies solicitor who betrays trusting clients. Found guilty of Professional Misconduct on several counts and then lied to the Scottish Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal in a desperate attempt to gain a more lenient sentence.

Norman Alexander Fyfe Banski

Cashing a cheque without implementing the whole conditions attached to the encashment and then persisted in his failure to make a new disposition in favour of his clients. On planet Earth this is commonly known as theft - but if you're a Scottish lawyer operating on planet Untouchable it's known as Inadequate Professional Service. Typical penalty = a 200 pound fine.

Leslie Scott Dalgarno

Head of Paull-Williamsons Commercial Property Department. Found guilty of Professional Misconduct in that he acted for two clients in a conflict of interest situation.

Daniel Cohen

Like so many other untrustworthy Scottish lawyers, Danny Cohen lies to trusting clients. Received a paltry fine for professional misconduct.

Found guilty of professional misconduct in respect of his failure to stamp and to record or register Dispositions and relative Standard Securities timeously and to record or register Discharges of Standard Securities timeously and his breach of Rules 4(1)(a), 6(1)(c), 12(1), 12(4), 12(5) and 15 of the Solicitors (Scotland) Accounts Rules 1997. Sentenced to a 6 year suspension from practice.

Found guilty of professional misconduct in respect that he misled his clients regarding progress of the clients' business, and he failed to respond to requests for delivery of papers and other information, Suspended from practice for a period of five years. This crooked lawyer lied to many of his clients, causing them enormous stress and inconvenience.

Found guilty of Professional Misconduct on several counts. This crook is, and has previously been, the subject of many misconduct complaints.

A truly sickening case. This crooked lawyer was found guilty of professional misconduct in that he misled clients over a number of years regarding the progress and likely outcome of a medical negligence claim for their disabled child. He strung these vulnerable parents along for years, causing them immense suffering and inconvenience. He received a 5-year practising restriction.

In 2004, he was again found guilty of professional misconduct - for misleading yet another trusting client.

Details to follow...

Found guilty of professional misconduct in respect of his breach of Accounts Rules. Received a practising restriction of 10 years allowing him to work only as a qualified assistant.

Signed a false affadavit; failure to respond to other solicitors reasonable requests, also 2 counts of providing clients with an "Inadequate Professional Service".

Found guilty of professional misconduct after fleecing a disabled, elderly client out of thousands. He was sentenced to just 5 years as a "qualified assistant" i.e. slap-on-the-wrist until he is deemed "mature and confident enough" to resume normal practice.

Found guilty of professional misconduct on 2 separate occasions. Sentenced to a 10-year practising restriction.

Obtained a relatively small amount of money from his client by deception. Found guilty of professional misconduct and sentenced to 3 years as a qualified assistant.

"...the respondent [Moodie] accepted that the letters sent to his client were misleading. The respondent's memory was hazy with regard to this and he could not say what had happened to the memo and the letter." - from the SSDT findings.

When caught behaving badly many of Scotland's lawyers succumb to sudden bouts of amnesia and other cognitive disorders!

Alastair Ogston Robertson

Past President of the Society of Advocates and master of legal prevarication.

Alistair Robertson was found guilty of professional misconduct - but hampered the investigation into his conduct at every turn:

"it was not possible to identify the actual solicitor who was responsible for the
majority of the work carried out on behalf of Ms A & Ms B....This request was ignored and a reminder was intimated on 2nd April 2004. Still the request was ignored and a further reminder was intimated on 28th April 2004. The total delay involved was 50 weeks and 20 letters."

Robertson didn't even receive a fine - just a censure (a formal telling-off). It's somewhat concerning that his firm claim to be experts in Trust Law.

Click Here to read the SSDT findings against Robertson.

"Guilty of Professional Misconduct in respect of his failure to fully protect the interests of his clients and his acting in reckless disregard of these interests in settling conveyancing transactions; and his failure to timeously report to his purchasing and lending clients about his failure to obtain executed Dispositions after settlement with the consequence that there was considerable delay in registering these Dispositions and the relative Standard Securities in the Land Registry"

Nicholas McCormick

Found guilty of professional misconduct for failing to look after the interests of numerous clients. He broke accounting rules, money laundering regulations and, despite a previous finding of professional misconduct, McCormick escaped with a £3,000 fine.

Nigel Stephen Kenny

Kenny & Associates

22 Castle Street

Dumfries

Professional Misconduct in respect of his breach of Rules 8, 9, 10, 11 and 24 of the Solicitors (Scotland) Accounts etc Rules 2001, his repeatedly acting in breach of the Accounts Rules despite his shortcomings being brought to his attention and his unreasonable delay in recording and registering dispositions and standard securities and discharges; Fined £2000 and a 7-year practising restriction

Colin Boyd QC

Colin Boyd failed to pursue lawyer-criminality for years and resigned as Scotland's law chief following a string of controversial cases The case below involved Boyd's dept and a crooked lawyer named Tom Murray:

Boyd recently resigned from the Faculty of Advocates and now works as a lowly 'legal consultant' for a firm of solicitors.

Jane Paterson

Lied to Glasgow Sheriff Court about her client settling a £130,000 civil court action for just £12,000. This lie was exposed during court proceedings.

Paterson's female victim is an extremely brave individual whose life has been ruined by serious legal misconduct. Despite her solicitor being struck off for serious professional misconduct, the victim has been unable to obtain justice through the courts, legal proceedings that have taken over 10 years and continue to this day.

Bell's Submission: 'having given the Appellant the protection of Amicus Curiae Your Lordships may wish to consider the propriety of proceeding without the Amicus Curiae.'

The Allegation: As Amicus Curiae (Friend of the Court) he criminally suppressed from the Appeal Court vital evidence of serious criminal acts by senior staff at Carstairs State Hospital.

Bell's Defence: 'I owed NO duty of care to the Appellant.'

The appellant was legal profession whistleblower, Arnold 'Andy' McCardle, who the Court of Appeal ruled had been illegally detained for over 2 years on 2 charges of breach of the peace. Andy, his family and friends predicted his state-sponsored murder and on Boxing Day 2004 the unthinkable happened. Andy died of a 'sudden cardiac event', aged 54, exactly as predicted.

Hastie

McIlvride was formerly a solicitor with Anderson Fyfe, a Glasgow based law firm. During his time there he raised a court action in his client's name, but did so without his client's knowledge! The client, a well-respected retired bank manager, lost many thousands of pounds as a result. Despite the Law Society Conduct Committee upholding four heads of complaint against McIlvride and Anderson Fyfe, the client was never compensated.

Gordon Jackson QC

As a serving MSP Jackson was allowed to earn a staggering £270,000 from his legal profession sideline! Greed, however, is the least of his problems.

More recently, we have received several reports from clients and instructing solicitors alleging that Jackson has been neglecting and blackmailing clients, and that his actions have contributed to several miscarriages of justice. There have also been allegations relating to criminal misconduct, including; defrauding the legal aid board, defrauding the Inland Revenue. More on this shortly...

QC opinion No 1: "There is a fraud taking place in this court..."

QC opinion No 2: "I would be very surprised if there were two Sheriffs at Glasgow with such similar signatures"

Click Here to read part of a legal opinion by Peter Ferguson QC

So what did Sheriff Principal Bowen decide to do about this fraud? Nothing! The perpetrators were, after all, "respected" Glasgow legal professionals...

Details to follow...

former Sheriff at Hamilton

now works for Harper MacLeod Solicitors (much handier for the red-light district)

"I was only having a shave"

This was Neilson's defence after being caught in a police raid at a Glasgow brothel. We try our best to overlook the personal conduct of Scotland's lawyers and Judges and concentrate instead on their corrupt professional practices. However, this scandal raises some very important questions:

1. If he was sitting in judgement on a prostitute or brothel owner would he have declared an interest and withdrawn from the case? We doubt it very much! Such secret conflicts compromise the impartiality of many of Scotland's lawyers and judges when dealing with their brother lawyers. The legal profession is an incestuous village where professional negligence cases against lawyers are destined to fail. In support of this contention we would cite the fact the Law Society and Scottish Court Service have refused to provide or publish any statistical data on the success rates of professional negligence claims.

2. Neilson, 52, was suspended while Scotland's two most senior judges, Lord Cullen and Lord Gill, launched an investigation into his fitness for office. When he resigned the 'investigation' was brought to an abrupt end. Neilson must surely have known resignation was the only option - so why was he allowed to milk the cash cow for a whole 4 months? SACL also want to know who paid for this costly judicial investigation and if Neilson threatened to spill some beans? Such as the identity of other prominent Sheriffs who go for a shave in Glasgow's brothels....

Click Here to read Sheriff Neilson's page.

'Floating' Sheriff

Crooked Lawyer - Spin Doctor - Issuer of idle legal threats

As a former Law Society President Joe Platt is fully aware the Society protect crooked solicitors from the consequences of professional misconduct. He knows all about the top-secret Law Society Internal Memo, shameful year-on-year investigation failure rates and shocking individual cases. During his presidency he 'lost' a file containing damning documentary evidence against Biggart Baillie, the former president's firm. Platt also claimed he knew nothing about two newspaper articles regarding his client, the missing file and the Law Society's "failure to understand or investigate allegations of collusion and conflict of interest" against Biggart Baillie! He also threatened imminent legal action against his client's son for exposing the scandal. Needless to say, he bottled out. Evidence to support of these allegations will follow very shortly....

In 1973 Kenneth Ross became a partner of McGowans, a trusted Dumfries law firm with many satisfied clients. But within a short period of time Ross assumed control of the firm and used it as a vehicle for his fraudulent schemes. Clients were neglected in many different ways; one example being Ross maliciously disregarding his client's instructions, resulting in a decree being brought against his client. Ross was also associated with disgraced Stranraer lawyer John Kennedy Forster who was jailed for six-and-a-half years for stealing from clients. Like Forster, Ross was protected by the Law Society of Scotland, the solicitors' regulatory body of which he would ultimately become president.

When Muirhead applied to become a Sheriff he conveniently failed to disclose that he was a defender in an ongoing Court Action. Despite the application form containing clear YES or NO confirmation boxes, Muirhead chose to tick neither. John Swinney MSP challenged Justice MinisterJim Wallace MSP (a lawyer politician) about this, only to be told: "there is no legal duty to tick either box". Swinney was fuming with Wallace's response, likening it to a citizen failing to properly complete a tax return. No action was taken against Muirhead.

Muirhead was also severely criticised by Sheriff John Wheatley (now Lord Wheatley) for raising a vexatious court action against a Mrs Susan Mackenzie. This innocent lady was forced to defend the action in person and the stress of defending Muirhead's vexatious action took a terrible toll on her health.

Click Here to read John Swinney's parliamentary question about this corrupt Sheriff. (Ref: S2W-11847)

Lied to Police investigating the Glasgow murder of Angelika Kluk.

When questioned about the last time he saw the girl Sheriff McLernan told them: "We spoke for a minute or two then I left." But CCTV evidence revealed he had, in actual fact, spent 45 minutes with Angelika on the night before her death. They hugged, spoke at great length, exchanged email addresses and McLernan even took along a wee present for his "golfing protege". Donald Findlay QC, out of "professional courtesy", stopped fractionally short of calling the sheriff a bare-faced liar. Well, we won't. Sheriff Kieran McLernan clearly lied to the police in relation to the time he spent with Angelika in an attempt to mitigate his own involvment with the 23-year-old. One can only speculate as to why he did so. Click Here to read the BBC website....

Lord Hamilton

Lord President of Scotland

Lord Hamilton abuses his position to cover-up legal misconduct and criminality in Scotland's courts.

Lord Gill

Lord Justice Clerk

Lord Gill is Scotland's second most senior judge.

More to follow shortly...

Lord Cullen

formerly

Lord Justice General of Scotland

Lord Cullen is fully aware Scotland's legal system is riddled with widespread corruption. Ranging from crooked lawyers (still allowed to practice - see above) to bent Sheriffs breaking and ignoring the law to protect a vested interest, Cullen always turned a blind eye. He is a grand master at hiding criminality and professional misconduct behind ambiguous legal judgments which, without fail, always clear senior lawyers or establishment figures of any wrongdoing.

____

Click Here to open 'DUNBLANE UNBURIED' website exposing Cullen's complex conspiracy to cover-up the whole truth behind the Dunblane massacre.

Lady Smith

Supreme Court Judge

'A law unto herself.'

Lady Smith abuses her judicial position to protect and promote private vested interests - such as law firm Shepherd & Wedderburn (her husband is the Chairman) Hubby has also landed a nice little number on the SLCC.

Her disgraceful treatment of a party litigant who has been the victim of crooked lawyers is currently under investigation. She has already assisted the crooked lawyers by ensuring the proceedings were heard in a closed court.

Kenneth Pritchard OBE, WS. Former Secretary and Chief Executive Law Society of Scotland. Part-time Sheriff. Former Chairman of the Temporary Sheriffs' Association.

Pritchard's covert attempt to defeat a perfectly valid solicitor negligence claim was recently exposed in parliament by John Swinney MSP. In his capacity as Law Society Secretary, Pritchard actively encouraged a firm of solicitors NOT to act for an individual whose life was effectively ruined by crooked lawyers. The victim, Iain McIntyre, was ultimately successful in his damages claim - a settlement that we cannot comment on for "legal reasons" i.e. Mr McIntyre was forced to remain silent about the legal crookery in order to receive just partial recompense.

Click Here to read more about Ken Pritchard.

We have received over 100 complaints about the conduct of Philip Yelland in his capacity as Law Society 'Client Relations Director'. Victims of crooked solicitors refer to him as "the most corrupt man in Scotland" and such strong feelings are supported by overwhelming statistical, documentary and eyewitness evidence. The evidence proves, beyond any doubt, the Law Society deny victims justice by protecting rogue solicitors from the consequences of misconduct and collude with the Insurers to limit or negate payouts to victims.

Douglas Mill

Douglas Mill wrote the infamous Top Secret Law Society internal memo, described by John Swinney MSP as "explosive", proving "undoubted collusion" between the Society and the brokers running the Solicitor Master Insurance Policy.

Click Here to read our Law Society page

Iain Smart

Iain Smart was found guilty of a "failure to ensure a full disclosure of all matrimonial assets as instructed by the Court on the 9th of August 2001."

Click Here to read the actual Law Society findings.

This crook is the current vice-president of the Law Society of Scotland

Joe Platt

Joe Platt is always quick to respond with some positive spin when the Law Society are caught protecting crooked solicitors - some of whom are named above. Click Here for more details.

Philip Dry

A vocal supporter of self-regulation and senior partner of Messrs Biggart Baillie - a crooked law firm who admitted neglecting a trusting client.

Martin McAllister

Martin McAllister lied in evidence to the Parliament Inquiry investigating self-regulation. He stated "the Law Society does not deal with negligence claims". For many years the Law Society were suspected of colluding with the Insurance Brokers to limit the frequency and size of claims made on the Master Policy. Proving collusion was an impossible task - but now, thanks to the leaking of the Internal Memo, both parties have now been exposed doing exactly that (and also telling a pack of lies to parliament). click here to read the memo

David Preston

David McLetchie MSP

TAXIGATE brought down Scottish Conservative leader David McLetchie, who was caught misusing parliamentary expenses for taxi trips to top law firm Tods Murray. He works there as a lawyer "on the side". McLetchie also abused his position as an MSP to promote the financial interests of this influential and extremely corrupt law firm. . Click Here for more...

Gordon Jackson MSP QC

more to follow shortly

Nicol Stephen MSP

MORTGAGEGATE saw former Deputy First Minister Nicol Stephen (another of parliament's many lawyer MSPs) being found guilty of misusing taxpayers' cash to pay his Edinburgh mortgage, a joint mortgage shared with his wife. Following "advice from his lawyers" the then Deputy First Minister supplied parliament with a doctored loan document, which had his wife's name removed. This scam allowed Stephen to pocket the cash. Click Here for more...

Christine Grahame MSP

Former convener of the Justice 1 Committee despite working for one of Edinburgh's most crooked law firms, DMD Law, who appear in the East of Scotland region above.

This Law Society member conveniently ignored the overwhelming documentary, statistical and eyewitness evidence exposing the inherent failures of legal self-regulation.

Pauline McNeill MSP (real surname CAHILL)

Yet another lawyer politician who protects vested interests in the legal profession. As convener of parliament's Justice 1 Committee she refused to investigate doctored submissions to the parliamentary inquiry investigating legal self regulation.

'McNeill' and her secret husband are both lawyers. His name is William Cahill and he works as an Advocate.

Mike O'Brien QC MP

Solicitor General

Assisted crooked lawyers in the theft of millions of pounds from vulnerable elderly clients.

Click Here for more

Gerald Levin

David Currie

Annaline Webster