Shaun A. Reynolds

Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision

Attorney Shaun Reynolds was retained in 1997 to formalize an agreement for sale and effect transfer of property from Charles Wilson to complainant Yann Martinet. He was paid JMD 74,000 by the complainant and JMD 205,000 by the vendor to cover fees, stamp duty and transfer tax. He failed to stamp the agreement (which he had mistakenly back-dated to 1994), failed to complete the transfer, and failed to account for the funds. The tribunal rejected his explanation that the complainant could not pay the JMD 250,000 balance, finding no justifiable cause for the delay. He was found guilty of all charges (Canons VII(a)/(b) and IV(r)/(s)).

Duties found breached:

• No conflict between current clients
• No improper communication with the court
• Overriding duty to the court
• Prompt accounting and return of money

Aggravating factors:

• Failure to attend hearings without explanation
• Failure to produce witness Mr. Ruddock despite adjournment granted
• Back-dating the Agreement for Sale to 1994 exposing parties to stamp duty and transfer tax penalties