COURT OF APPEAL

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 160, 22 June 1932, Page 6

COURT OF APPEAL

TWO SOLICITORS STRUCK OFF

By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, June 22. On the application of the New Zealand Law Society the Court of Appeal made an order striking Claude Haughton Mills, barrister and solicitor, formerly practising in Blenheim, oil the rolls of barristers and solicitors of the Dominion. Counsel for Mills said that he had to submit to the order being made. A number of the irregularities alleged could be satisfactorily explained, but the larger ones and the fact of the deficit in the trust account could not. Jhe solicitor himself gained no personal benefit from the shortage in his accounts. He had over-invested for his clients and losses were made, 'these losses had been made up from tile money of other clients. The solicitor had securities representing a considerable portion of the deficit and was endeavouring to pay 20.- in the £. Mills was held in very high esteem in Marlborough, and fo’i months had been extremely il 1 !, which undoubtedly led to confusion in the running of his practice. Costs 15 guineas and disbursements were allowed to the Law Society. An order was also made striking James Joseph Fitzgerald, of Christ’ church, off the rolls of solicitors ol the Dominion. The practitioner was not represented. The Court of Appeal granted leave to appeal in forma pauperis in the. Christchurch case of Algie v. Brown and Son, Ltd. and in the Auckland case of Moa Pirimona v. Archibald R. G. Brunton. A fixture was made for the hearing of tho former case for Thursday, June 30