Daughter of former Fianna Fáil TD struck off the roll of solicitors

Ann O'Loughlin

The solicitor daughter of former Fianna Fáil TD John Ellis has been struck off the roll of solicitors by the High Court.

Orla Ellis, the High Court heard, was consenting to the order and a number of other orders put before the president of the High Court on Monday.

Last September the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal (LPDT) recommended strike off after hearing that deficits totalling in the region of €566,000 had been allegedly allowed to build up in the solicitor’s client account.

The Tribunal heard the real deficit figure was likely to be much higher as further claims were expected to be made.

In the region of €666,758 had been paid out to former clients of Ms Ellis from the Law Society ‘s Compensation Fund with over €560,000 recovered from Ms Ellis’s firm to date.

In the High Court on Monday, Mr Justice David Barniville also ordered that over €128,000 be paid to the Law Society as restitution in relation to a deficit in the Law Society Compensation Fund after payments were made to former clients of Ms Ellis.

Mr Justice Barniville who also made a number of orders in relation to costs, also ruled that Ms Ellis swear an affidavit within the next 14 days in relation to her assets.

The judge noted there had been findings of misconduct against Ms Elllis.

Ms Ellis, who practised in Co Leitrim, did not attend the High Court hearing but her solicitor, John O’Dwyer said she was consenting to all the reliefs sought by the Law Society.