A Balbriggan solicitor has been struck off after the High Court upheld serious disciplinary findings involving the misuse of client money and repeated breaches of professional rules.
Ian McSweeney had practised as principal of McSweeney Solicitors at 25 Dublin Street, Balbriggan. He had already been suspended from practice in November 2024 and no longer held a practising certificate when the Law Society sought his removal from the Roll of Solicitors.
The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal found that Mr McSweeney had allowed a €49,990.89 deficit to develop in client funds. It also found that he withdrew money from the client account in stages between September 2023 and September 2024 for personal use.
Further misconduct findings included failing to stamp and register nine properties despite having received money to do so, failing to reconcile the client account after August 2023, and failing to maintain required accounting and client-file records.
A separate disciplinary finding concerned his failure to submit an accountant’s report for the year ending 31 December 2023 within the required six-month period.
Mr Justice David Barniville, President of the High Court, said the case involved very serious findings of dishonesty and misconduct. He noted that dishonesty involving client funds will almost invariably justify the most serious professional sanction.
The court also considered Mr McSweeney’s extensive disciplinary history. Previous findings between 2019 and 2024 included repeated failures to file accountant’s reports, failures to engage with the Law Society and breaches of earlier disciplinary requirements. The court was told that most previous fines and costs remained unpaid.
The judge concluded that Mr McSweeney was not fit to remain on the Roll of Solicitors and ordered his name struck off.
He was also ordered to pay €10,000 to the Law Society Compensation Fund, €4,524 towards the Society’s costs before the disciplinary tribunal and €3,254 for the High Court application.