A SOLICITOR’S ACCOUNTS

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 8, 31 March 1927, Page 13

A SOLICITOR’S ACCOUNTS

IN SAD MUDDLE ACTION BY LAW SOCIETY (Froxn Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. The complicated affairs of Frederick James McKenna, solicitor, of Patea, were revealed before the Full Court to-day when an application was made by the New Zealand Law Society to have McKenna struck off the roll. The trouble appeared to be the hopeless muddle into which McKenna had got his books, and when pressed for an audit had made false entries and forged receipts in the names of clients. His trust account, according to Mr. Von Haast, was £SBO deficient on March 31, 1926. When asked for an explanation he had been quite frank. The Chief Justice: "What was the urgency for this action?” Mr. Von Haast: "I think the auditor was pressing him for a statement. McKenna when he returned from the war entered into practice without a knowledge of the outside world and seemed to have had difficulties, but simply went on.” Mr. Treadwell, for McKenna, said the acts made it useless to urge that McKenna was fit to practise. There was nothing criminal in the actions, they were simply muddled right through from the beginning. It was a case of gross carelessness, muddlement, ignorance, and neglect. Mr. jListice Adams: “Do you mean that forgery is sheer muddlement, or dealing with a trust account like this sheer carelessness?” Mr. Treadwell: “Want need had no relation to it. He had plenty of money. He allowed himself to drift into a state when he did not know what he had in his trust account. I don’t know if he looked at it.” Mr. Justice' Ostler: "It seems he did not want to rob anyone.” « Mr. Treadwell: "That is so. Not one client inquired, and if McKenna had been crooked in a sinister sense the villagers of Patea would quickly have found it out.” Decision was reserved till Saturday.