Julian Anthony Norton Heron

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

Solicitor Julian Anthony Norton Heron used £10,600 of client money held for stamp duty on a client's transaction to pay stamp duty on his own property, concealing it through false ledger entries. The Tribunal found all allegations substantiated and made an express finding of dishonesty, concluding he acted deliberately and with conscious impropriety. He had a prior 2003 disciplinary suspension. He did not attend. Struck off the Roll and ordered to pay £5,300 costs.

Duties found breached:

• No improper communication with the court
• Uphold public trust in the profession
• Act in the client's best interests
• No improper use of client money

Aggravating factors:

• Deliberate taking of clients' money to pay his own stamp duty liability
• Concealment via deliberate false bookkeeping entries recording the payment as stamp duty on the client's ledger
• Approached clients to sign an authority retrospectively and asked them not to seek independent legal advice
• Previous disciplinary finding in 2003 resulting in 2.5 year suspension