Law Society-v-William Meechan
Interlocutor
Edinburgh 4th October 2006. The Tribunal having considered the Complaint dated 30th March 2006 at the instance of the Council of the Law Society of Scotland against William Meechan, Solicitor, 19 Waterloo Street, Glasgow; Find the Respondent guilty of Professional Misconduct in respect of his misleading fellow solicitors and their client by representing to them that he was in funds to the extent of £15,000 well knowing that he did not hold cleared funds and that their client’s agreement to settle his claims against his former employers was conditional upon the Respondent holding cleared funds in his client account to permit settlement by one single payment within the timescale agreed and thereby induced them to advise their client to agree to settle his claim in ignorance of the true position and to discharge a hearing which he would not otherwise have agreed to discharge and his failing to advise his fellow solicitors that his clients had stopped their cheque thus allowing his fellow solicitors to continue to adjust the settlement terms in the belief that he held funds to settle when he well knew that the settlement proceeds were not held by him and delivered up to ACAS the executed COT3 agreement when he knew that the terms of the agreement would not be implemented by his clients so far as the timing of the payment of the funds was concerned; Censure the Respondent; Fine him in the sum of £2,500 to be forfeit to Her Majesty; 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 solicitor and client indemnity basis in terms of Chapter Three of the last published Law Society’s Table of Fees for general business at 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.
Alistair Cockburn
Chairman