Law Society-v-Valerie Elaine MacKenzie Macadam

Edinburgh 1^st September 2005.  The Tribunal having considered the Complaints dated 30^th April 2004 and 12^th January 2005 at the instance of the Council of the Law Society of Scotland against Valerie Elaine MacKenzie Macadam, Solicitor, formerly of 57 Comiston Road, Edinburgh and now at Flat 11, 121 Comiston Drive, Edinburgh; Find the Respondent guilty of Professional Misconduct in respect of her allowing a petition for confirmation to be presented and then proceeding to administer an estate without the knowledge or concurrence of the nominated executor, her forging the signature of the executor on a stock transfer form, her failure to properly attend to the conclusion of an estate, her deliberately misleading a client as to the contents of a letter sent on her behalf, her acting in a covert fashion by failing to advise a client that she had any intention of acting for her as a limited liability company rather than as a solicitor, her embezzlement of client funds by the presentation of various cheques, her embezzlement of funds belonging to two executries and her breach of Rules 4, 6, 8, 9, and 24 of Solicitors (Scotland) Accounts etc Rules 2001; Order that the name of the Respondent, Valerie Elaine MacKenzie Macadam, be struck off the Roll of Solicitors in Scotland; 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 a 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 but will be deferred until the conclusion of any criminal proceedings against the Respondent.

Alistair Cockburn

Chairman