John David Anderson

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

John David Anderson, a solicitor admitted in 1975 (now retired), failed to supply information requested by the Official Receiver following a bankruptcy order against his client, breaching s.312 of the Insolvency Act 1986, and failed to respond promptly to SRA correspondence. The Tribunal found both allegations of conduct unbefitting a solicitor substantiated on the documentation. No finding of dishonesty was made. Given the Respondent's stated inability to cope with the stresses of practice, the Tribunal imposed an indefinite suspension (not as severe punishment) and ordered costs subject to detailed assessment unless agreed.

Duties found breached:

• Handle inadvertently received material
• Good faith and courtesy to colleagues
• No improper solicitation or touting

Mitigating factors:

• Respondent's inability to adequately cope with stresses over recent years and unacceptable working conditions
• Mental breakdown contributed to by claims against the practice and prospect of bankruptcy
• Believed his retirement had already taken place during the relevant period
• Accepted he had made a mistake regarding disclosure to the Insolvency Service
• Supplied the information at some point after the Rule 4 Statement was issued
• Over 40 years (career) in the profession, always tried to put clients' interests first
• Had served as president of his local law society
• No intention of bringing the profession into disrepute