Christopher Lynch

Allegation / charges

In the matter of Christopher Lynch, a solicitor previously practising as Christopher Lynch Solicitors at 99 O’Connell Street, Limerick, and in the matter of the Solicitors Acts 1954-2011 [8386/DT72/13 and High Court record 2014 no 85SA] Law Society of Ireland (applicant) Christopher Lynch (respondent solicitor) On 25 March 2014 and 6 November 2014, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal sat to consider this matter. They found the respondent solicitor guilty of misconduct in his practice as a solicitor in that, up to the date of the referral of the matter to the tribunal, he had: 1) Created debit balances totalling €55,256.66 on the client account, in breach of regulation 7(2)(a) of the Solicitors Accounts Regulations , 2) Created a shortfall of €166,169.31 on the client account of the practice, as of 7 August 2012, by lodging client moneys to the office account and by failing to pay outlays out correctly from client funds received, in breach of regulations 7(1)(a)(iii), 8(ii) and 11(3) of the Solicitors Accounts Regulations . The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal referred the matter forward to the President of the High Court and, on 7 July 2014, the president ordered that: 1) The respondent solicitor be suspended from practice for a period of 12 months, 2) The respondent solicitor, after the expiration of the suspension period, be restricted from practising in the area of civil litigation for such period as the court may provide, 3) The respondent solicitor, after the expiration of the suspension period, not be permitted to act as a sole practitioner or in partnership; that he be permitted only to practise as an assistant solicitor in the employment and under the direct control and supervision of another solicitor of at least ten years’ standing, to be approved in advance by the Society, 4) That the respondent solicitor pay the whole of the costs of the Society, including witnesses’ expenses, to be taxed by a taxing master of the High Court in default of agreement. The order of the tribunal made on 25 March 2014 and the report of the tribunal were amended on 6 November 2014, and this amendment was noted by the High Court on 22 June 2015, and the order made on 7 July 2014 was confirmed. The amendments made did not affect the actual findings of misconduct or recommendations as to sanction.

Duties engaged

• Account for interest on client money

Documents

No documents recorded.