APPEAL COURT.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 19 October 1922, Page 7

APPEAL COURT.

A SOLICITOR'S CASE. Cut telegraph—prkß<j association.) WELLINGTON, Oct. 19. The Court of Appeal heard argumen this morning in an application by th Auckland District Law Society for ai ; order striking oft' the rolls or suspend i ing from practice Edmund James Stew art, solicitor, of Hamilton. The ground of the application were that iStewar had, in 1914. received a sum of £20( from Catherine Minogue, and had ap propriated it to his own use; or, ii the alternative, that he had been guilty of gross negligence in his profession* conduct in connection with the matter The application further alleged thai Stewart had not kept his trust aocounl books so as to enable them to be properly audited, and that his- notorious drinking habits were an open disgrace to the profession. . Mr. Meek appeared for the New Zealand Law Society, and Mr. Blair for Stewart. Mr. Blah* said the charge as to the trust account not being in order could not be substantiated. The account was in order at the present time. Stewart's drinking habits had only commenced after coming out of camp, but he had now ceased drinking entirely. As to the charge of appropriating a client's money, it had to be admitted that the transaction was not a proper one, but there was no intention to rob his client and the money had been repaid. The case was clearly not one for striking off the roll, and suspension would be too (severe a punishment. Mr. Meets pointed out the seriousness of the charges against Stewart, stating that the case was clearly one in which some punishment must be inflicted. The Court reserved its decision. \ ai