A solicitor who filed an accountant’s report more than a year after its deadline was censured by the High Court and ordered to pay €10,740, including a €5,000 payment to the Law Society’s compensation fund.
In an ex tempore judgment delivered on 9 June 2026, Mr Justice David Barniville, President of the High Court, also ordered Oisín Murphy to pay €1,762 in costs for the disciplinary proceedings and €3,978 for the Society’s High Court application.
The Society brought the application under the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 following a recommendation by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal. Murphy appeared in court and consented to the application.
The Society alleged that Murphy failed to ensure his accountant’s report for the year ended 31 July 2023 was provided within six months, as required by the Solicitors Accounts Regulations 2014. The statutory filing deadline was 31 January 2024. The Society reminded him of the obligation in December 2023 and told him in February 2024 that it would refer the matter to the Tribunal.
At the Tribunal inquiry in July 2024, Murphy admitted the facts and misconduct and sought more time to file the report. The inquiry was adjourned to September, but the report had still not been prepared by then. The Tribunal found misconduct and recommended a €5,000 compensation-fund payment, €1,762 in costs and suspension from practice until the report was filed.
The report was eventually submitted to the Society on 19 February 2025. Because it had been filed, the Society did not seek suspension and instead asked the High Court to impose a censure. The Tribunal had also considered a previous disciplinary finding over a late report for the year ended 31 July 2018; a report for the year ended 31 July 2022 had been received late, on 15 June 2023.
The judge said timely filing was important to the supervision and regulation of solicitors’ practices, particularly where client money is handled. He found the sanctions sought by the Society appropriate and proportionate. The court made the three orders requested and said it would make no further order.