Garry Michael Procter

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

Sole practitioner found guilty of conduct unbefitting a solicitor: accounting records were not in compliance with the Solicitors Accounts Rules (cash shortages identified across three inspections, reduced to about £70,569 by the final report), improper round-sum and other transfers from client to office account, and use of client money for his own purposes. He also employed Christopher John Cudworth Summers, a struck-off solicitor, without the Law Society's written permission, knowing Summers had been struck off. The applicant expressly did NOT allege dishonesty, and the Tribunal made no dishonesty finding (the matter was framed as miscalculation reflecting on integrity/probity). Despite sympathy for the respondent's serious mental ill-health, the Tribunal found all allegations substantiated and, given Section 41, ordered him struck off the Roll and to pay taxed costs.

Duties found breached:

• No conflict between current clients
• No improper use of client money
• Accounting records, reconciliation and reports

Aggravating factors:

• Large sums of client money involved
• Knowingly employed a struck-off solicitor
• Seriously fell below standards required of a solicitor

Mitigating factors:

• Long-standing serious mental ill-health, including suicide attempt and psychiatric hospitalisation
• Excessive workload and stressful personal circumstances at the material time
• Death of a partner and departure of other partners causing turmoil in the practice
• Loss of accounting records due to computer crash
• Admitted all allegations and facts
• No client made any complaint
• Behaviour described as irrational and out of character