Ayoola Adebambo Olaitan

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

Solicitor Ayoola Adebambo Olaitan, a partner in Lawson, Turner & Gilbert, First Conveyancing, and Lawyers @ 395 Limited, faced numerous allegations of breaches of the Solicitors Practice Rules and Solicitors Accounts Rules, including client account shortages and mishandling of mortgage/lender funds. The hearing proceeded in his absence as he had left the country and deliberately avoided engaging. The Tribunal found all allegations substantiated and expressly found dishonesty under the Twinsectra test, based particularly on a £265,456 unreturned mortgage advance and £180,000 shortage. He was struck off the Roll and ordered to pay the Applicant's costs (subject to detailed assessment, including Investigation Accountant costs) less £10,000 previously ordered against the four co-respondents.

Duties found breached:

• No improper communication with the court
• Honesty
• Act in the client's best interests
• Advise on alternatives, settlement and outcome
• No improper use of client money
• Accounting records, reconciliation and reports

Aggravating factors:

• Approximately £445,456 of client/lender money missing
• Failure to return £265,456 mortgage advance when completion never took place
• Failure to redeem mortgage of approx £180,000 despite undertaking
• Unallocated personal payment of £22,850.05 to estate agency of which he was a director
• Abuse of fiduciary relationship and position of trust
• Deliberately absented himself and failed to engage in proceedings
• Failure to comply with court judgments and compensation orders