Henry Earl Ellis

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

The Respondent solicitor closed his firm in July 2006 without notifying the SRA or his insurers, failed to obtain run-off insurance, failed to deliver certified accounts, and failed to respond to correspondence. He admitted all allegations and offered mitigation including depression and bankruptcy. The Tribunal found he was not currently fit to practice and imposed an indefinite suspension plus costs of £4,085.92. No dishonesty was found.

Duties found breached:

• No improper communication with the court
• No acting against a former client
• No improper use of client money
• Accounting records, reconciliation and reports
• Professional indemnity insurance

Mitigating factors:

• Admitted all allegations in full
• Difficult personal circumstances and depression
• Fundamental changes in the way business was done affected his practice
• Declared bankrupt on 10 June 2009