Alastair John Grahame Brown

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

Alastair John Grahame Brown, a solicitor admitted in 1977, operated legal services through a limited company (Lancecrown Limited) in breach of Practice Rule 5, acted where his own interests conflicted with his client Mr M (personally taking a 40% mortgage over the client's property without ensuring independent advice), took unfair advantage of the client through grossly excessive billing departing from agreed terms, and was party to a false return to the Registrar of Companies stating the company was dormant. The Tribunal found all four allegations substantiated, holding he had fallen seriously below the standards of integrity, probity and trustworthiness. He was suspended indefinitely and ordered to pay costs to be taxed if not agreed. No express finding of dishonesty was made.

Duties found breached:

• No taking unfair advantage
• Not mislead third parties or opponents
• No conflict between current clients

Aggravating factors:

• Comprehensive catalogue of wrongdoing
• Respondent failed to appreciate the nature and scale of his unbefitting conduct
• Refusal to cooperate sensibly with his own professional body
• Charged grossly excessive fees (£25,742.36 charged against assessed value of c.£3,757.69)
• Failed to ensure client received independent advice yet took possession of client's property
• Previous disciplinary finding in 1984 (though given little weight)

Mitigating factors:

• Respondent eventually cancelled outstanding bills and returned keys and mortgage documents to client