A solicitor who made a string of accounting errors

A solicitor who made a string of accounting errors including withdrawing pnds stlg 15,000 of clients’ cash without sending them bills was struck off today.

(Mon)

Frederick Wood, 63, left his firms ledgers in such a mess investigating experts were unable to unravel the true state of them.

He also broke strict rules by taking pnds stlg 4,871.

41 in cash from customers’ accounts for legal work instead of by cheque or by transfer to his office account.

The blunders happened at his firm FD Wood, based in (124 A) Allport Road, Bromborough, Wirral.

The practice was intervened into by the Law Society in May this year after an inspection in December last year.

Gerald Lynch, for the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors, said that officials found an absence of proper records for Wood’s accounting ledgers.

Wood, who qualified in 1962, had taken costs totalling pnds stlg 15,000 from three probate clients without sending any invoices.

‘He said: ”I have done it off the cuff and no client has complained”.

‘

But Mr Lynch said Wood had been ordered to repay one customer.

He added: ‘There was no evidence there was any agreement from the beneficiaries of the transfers of these monies.

‘Monies had been taken without presentation of the bill.

‘The maintenance of proper accounts is fundamental.

This is no minor breach.

‘

‘There is no allegation of loss of clients monies or deficiencies on the compensation fund.

‘He has put right his wrong but nonetheless there was a very serious failure in bookkeeping.

‘

Wood, of (2) Kilmalcolm Close, Oxton, Birkenhead, did not appear at the hearing.

He admitted breaches of accounts rules.

No dishonesty was alleged.

The tribunal heard that Wood appeared at a previous disciplinary hearing in 1992 for similar allegations.

Chairman John Clitheroe said: ‘This is a sad case of a man of 63 who has practiced honourably part from it seems on two separate occasions when he failed to comply with the solicitors accounts rules.

‘The importance of solicitors’ account rules are obvious.

The clients are protected, books can be inspected, fraud can be detected.

‘Happily there was no loss to clients, nor any dishonesty.

We want to make that clear.

‘As this is the second time in a decade Mr Wood has been found to have transgressed these rules we do not feel we have any alternative but to strike him off the Roll.

‘

Wood was also ordered to pay costs of pnds stlg 3,772.

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