Michael Edward Robinson

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

Michael Edward Robinson, a non-solicitor employed as financial controller at Fitz Hugh Gates, admitted misappropriating £1,786.72 from client account and £9,673.21 from office account and making false accounting entries. He was convicted at Lewes Crown Court of six offences and received a nine-month suspended sentence. The Tribunal found the allegation substantiated and made a section 43 order controlling his employment within the profession, ordering him to pay costs of £722.42. No express finding of dishonesty was recorded by the Tribunal.

Duties found breached:

• Handle inadvertently received material
• No improper use of client money

Aggravating factors:

• Breach of a position of trust as financial controller
• Criminal convictions with custodial sentence (nine months suspended for two years)
• Concealment via false ledger entries falsely describing payee as 'The Law Society'

Mitigating factors:

• Admitted the allegations
• Repaid £11,600 to the firm in rectification and contribution to costs
• Previous good character