Louis E.A. Forde

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

The respondent attorney L.E.A. Forde acted for both parties in a land sale transaction and had carriage of sale. He received $11,000 (the balance of the $16,000 purchase price) from the complainant purchaser, lodged it in a bank account, and issued a cheque to the vendor which was dishonoured for insufficient funds. He never accounted to either client for the $11,000, never executed a transfer of the land, took no effective steps to complete the transaction, and failed to attend any hearings to explain. The Committee found him guilty of professional misconduct. It ordered him struck off the Roll, ordered restitution of $11,000 to the complainant, and costs of $550. Although the vendor's affidavit referenced a dishonoured cheque, the tribunal made no express finding of dishonesty.

Duties found breached:

• Act only on proper, lawful instructions
• No baseless or threatened misconduct report
• Good faith and courtesy to colleagues

Aggravating factors:

• Failed to account to either client for $11,000 entrusted to him
• Failed to attend any of the hearings or offer any explanation
• Took no effective steps to complete the transaction or ensure title could be transferred
• Cheque issued to vendor was dishonoured for insufficient funds