Paul Martin Addison, 50, admitted 1975, practising as Addisons, Poole, fined £500 and ordered to pay £499 costs. Allegations substantiated he unreasonably delayed dealing with clients' affairs, failed to reply to Solicitors Complaints Bureau correspondence and held client funds while uncertificated. Addison previously before Tribunal in 1996 and fined £250 for failure to pay counsel's fees when due.
Philip Valentine, litigation clerk at material time with Edmund Pickles & Uptown, Wrexham, banned from working for any further solicitors without written consent from the Law Society. Allegations substantiated he perpetrated a complex "teeming and lading" operation involving misapplication of client funds and was responsible for numerous false entries into books of accounts for his firm, with resulting cash shortage of £102,785.
Simon Arscott, 39, admitted 1985, practising as Simon Arscott & Co, London W1, suspended for three months and ordered to pay £651 costs. Tribunal ordered that direction of Solicitors Complaints Bureau against Arscott be enforced. Allegations substantiated Arscott failed to comply with direction of Complaints Bureau.
Karen Pointon, legal secretary with WD Brooks and Co, Smethwick, West Midlands, banned from working for any further solicitors without written consent from Law Society. Allegations substantiated she misappropriated £3,895 of the firm's money by diverting small residuary balances on clients' accounts to her personal building society account.
Brendan Anthony Joyce, 50, admitted 1972, practising at material time as Joyce & Co, Newcastle, fined £500 and ordered to pay £627 costs. Allegations substantiated he failed to reply to letters from the Solicitors Complaints Bureau and unreasonably delayed conduct of professional business. Joyce, previously before Tribunal in July 1996, was fined £1,000 for failure to deliver accountants reports.
