Law Society-v-William Walls
Interlocutor
Edinburgh 12 February 2015. The Tribunal having considered The Complaint dated 2 October 2014 at the instance of the Council of the Law Society of Scotland against William Walls, Solicitor, 1 Muir Gardens, St Andrews; Find the Respondent guilty of Professional Misconduct in respect of his failure to comply with the requirements of the CML Handbook, his breach of Rule 24 of the Solicitors’ (Scotland) Accounts etc Rules 2001; his breach of Rule 5(2) of the Solicitors (Scotland) Practice Rules 1986, his breach of Rule 3 of the Solicitors (Scotland) (Client Communication) Practice Rules 2005, his failure to act with the upmost propriety towards two lenders he acted for by withholding information from those lenders, his failure to notify a lender of a delay in settlement and his failure to comply with Regulations 7 ,8(2) and 14 of the Money Laundering Regulations 2007; Suspend the Respondent from practice for a period of five years; Find the Respondent liable in the expenses of the Complainers and of the Tribunal including expenses of the Clerk, chargeable on a time and line basis as the same may be taxed by the Auditor of the Court of Session on an agent and client, client paying basis in terms of Chapter Three of the last published Law Society’s Table of Fees for general business with a unit rate of £14.00; and Direct that publicity will be deferred until the conclusion of any criminal proceedings regarding the Respondent and Direct thereafter that publicity will be given to this decision and that this publicity should include the name of the Respondent and may but has no need to include the names of anyone other than the Respondent.
Alan McDonald
Vice Chairman
NOTE:
On 21 April 2017 the Tribunal confirmed that this decision could be published.