Alan Monro Simpson

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

The Respondent, a former partner at Wright Johnston & Mackenzie, was instructed by two clients in 1996 to complete three conveyancing transactions. Instead of presenting the signed dispositions to the General Register of Sasines, he fraudulently photocopied an out-of-date official stamp onto the deeds to give the impression they had been recorded, and repeatedly assured his clients (including by letter) that registration was ongoing. The forgery emerged when the clients' new solicitors discovered the deeds had never been presented or recorded. The Tribunal found the conduct to be manifest, pre-planned, blatant fraud and dishonesty, found him guilty of professional misconduct, and struck his name off the Roll. He had personally paid £2,000 compensation to the clients. He did not lodge answers and was not present at the hearing.

Duties found breached:

• Cease acting on client perjury or disobedience
• Handle inadvertently received material
• Honour professional undertakings

Aggravating factors:

• Contrived, pre-planned fraud
• Dishonesty maintained over a period of time and reinforced by letters to clients
• Potentially serious consequences for clients
• Undermined the solicitor's role in protecting clients' conveyancing interests / damaging to reputation of profession

Mitigating factors:

• Respondent personally paid £2,000 compensation to the clients to resolve the service complaint