Ayr solicitor fined £2,000 for professional misconduct

Kevin John Boyd, 62, of Mathie Morton Limited, in Alloway Place, Ayr, was found to have delayed an executry for a man’s estate by more than four-and-a-half years.

Mr Boyd fell foul of rules B1.4 and B1.9.1 of the Law Society of Scotland Practice Rules (2011) and was censured by the SSDT at a virtual hearing.

His services were engaged in October 2018 to deal with the estate of a deceased man. He failed, however, to take action over a period of more than four years.

William Macreath, for Mr Boyd, said his client recognised that the delay in the case was “unconscionable”, but that the case was complex. He also said Mr Boyd had experienced some “health and family difficulties” at the time too.

The SSDT stated: “The fiscal and Mr Macreath disagreed about the complexity of the case. However, it was rightly conceded that the delay in this case was unnecessarily lengthy. There were numerous periods where absolutely nothing happened.

“In all circumstances, a censure and a fine of £2,000 are appropriate to reflect the seriousness of the misconduct.”