Rory Peter Heddle Fordyce
Allegation / charges
Breaches, Client Money, Code of Conduct 2011, Money Laundering Regulations, Solicitors Accounts Rules 2011, Solicitors Accounts Rules 2019, SRA Principles 2011, SRA Principles 2019
Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision
Rory Peter Heddle Fordyce, an experienced solicitor and manager/COLP/MLRO/MLCO at Taylor Fordyce Ltd, faced five allegations. The Tribunal found three proved: inadequate source of wealth/funds checks on a PEP (Anar Mahmudov) for two seven-figure receipts (1.1); using the client account as a banking facility for £1.1m with no underlying legal transaction (1.2); and using the client account as his own personal banking facility (approx £638,840 over 8 years) (1.3). Allegation 1.4 (borrowing £250,000 from Mahmudov) and 1.5 (loaning £138,200 to Client B) were not proved—the loan to Mahmudov was found not to create an actual or significant risk of own-interest conflict, and Client B was found never to be a client. No dishonesty and no lack of integrity were found. The Tribunal imposed a £32,500 fine, 5-year practice restrictions, and £50,000 costs.
Duties found breached:
Aggravating factors:
- Deliberate and repeated misconduct over a prolonged period
- Mishandled significant amounts of money
- Ought reasonably to have known conduct breached duty to protect reputation of profession
- Experienced solicitor wholly responsible for circumstances giving rise to misconduct
Mitigating factors:
- Showed degree of insight (allegations 1.1 and 1.3)
- Undertook AML training and became appraised of warning notices/authorities
- Previous good character with no prior adverse findings
- No direct harm caused to individual clients; no client monies misused
- No money laundering actually took place