A Clare solicitor was struck off the Roll of Solicitors yesterday by the President of the High Court. The court was told payments of more than £200,000 had been made from the Law Society's compensation fund in respect of claims against the solicitor.
Proceedings against Mr Christopher Forde (40), who practised at O'Connell Street, Ennis, and Kildysart, Co Clare, were heard by the disciplinary committee of the High Court in October 1994. The committee conducted an inquiry and made findings of misconduct against Mr Forde.
A petition was taken later to the High Court that Mr Forde be struck off and that he make restitution to the society.
Having heard submissions yesterday, the President of the High Court, Mr Justice Morris, made an order striking Mr Forde from the Roll of Solicitors.
In addition, he ordered that Mr Forde make restitution of £257,211 to the society.
Told that there had been a "recovery" of some £20,000 by the society, the judge said that if, after checking the figures, the sum of £257,211 was incorrect, he would hear any application on behalf of the solicitor.
In an affidavit, Mr Patrick Joseph Connolly, Registrar of Solicitors and Secretary of the Compensation Fund Committee of the Law Society, said he had in February 1992 appointed an investigating accountant to conduct an investigation of Mr Forde's practice pursuant to the Solicitors Accounts Regulations. The investigation began on December 17th, 1992.
Two days earlier, on December 15th, 1992, the society had received a complaint from a client of the solicitor. The client complained he had not received his settlement cheque of £25,000 regarding a personal injuries action.
Following further investigations regarding other clients, Mr Connolly said, from April 30th, 1994, the society had received compensation fund claims in respect of the solicitor totalling £273,191, of which £239,816 had been admitted and £228,833 paid out to claimants.
Mr Connolly said the solicitor had been guilty of conduct tending to bring the solicitors' profession into disrepute in that he had engaged in extensive misappropriation of substantial clients' monies; caused a deficit in client funds to arise on his client account; and caused payments to be admitted on the society's compensation fund.
In December Mr Forde was given a three-year suspended sentence in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for defrauding his clients of £40,000 to pay his own debts.
It was stated then that his solicitor's practice had been sold and he had given an undertaking not to work as a solicitor again.