Law Society-v-Deryck De Maine Beaumont
Interlocutor
Edinburgh 16 April 2008. The Tribunal having considered the Complaint dated 28 November 2007 at the instance of the Council of the Law Society of Scotland against Deryck De Maine Beaumont, Solicitor, Balnaguard, Pitlochry; Find the Respondent guilty of professional misconduct singly and in cumulo in respect of his repeated failure between 15 February 2005 and 4 April 2007 to reply to Faculty Services correspondence about Counsel’s fees in respect of a client or to provide an explanation for the non-payment of said fees; his repeated failure between 16 June 2006 and 12 December 2006 to respond to the reasonable enquiries of the Law Society about fees due to Faculty Services in respect of the said client and failure to comply with Notices served upon him; his repeated delay between 8 October 2002 and 4 April 2007 to reply to Faculty Services and failure to settle Counsel’s fees for instruction in respect of cases concerning four clients and his unreasonable delay between 24 August 2006 and 18 January 2007 in responding to the reasonable enquiries of the Law Society about the fees due to Faculty Services in respect of cases involving eight clients and his failure to comply with Statutory Notices served upon him; Censure the Respondent; Fine him in the sum of £2,500 to be forfeit to Her Majesty and Direct in terms of Section 53(5) of the Solicitors (Scotland) Act 1980 that any practising certificate held or to be issued to the Respondent shall be subject to such restriction as will limit him to acting as a qualified assistant to and to being supervised by such employer or successive employers as may be approved by the Council of the Law Society of Scotland or the Practising Certificate Committee of the Council of the Law Society of Scotland and that for an aggregate period of ten years; Find the Respondent liable in the expenses of the Complainers and in the expenses of the Tribunal as the same may be taxed by the auditor of the Court of Session on an agent and client indemnity basis in terms of Chapter Three of the last published Law Society’s Table of Fees for general business with a unit rate of £11.85; and Direct that publicity will be given to this decision and that this publicity should include the name of the Respondent.
Chairman