December 2013
Writing in the Irish Times today Tuesday the 3rd of December 2013 in article was entitled “Law Society faces questions after abuse of solicitor’s privileged position revealed” Ruadhan Mac Cormaic said:
“Trust is a solicitor’s most valuable asset”.
We at Hughes Murphy recognise the truth of this statement and are fully aware of our responsibilities to our clients in this regard. Our mission statement is the very first article which you, our client, reads and is governed by the principle of trust. The file in our office is yours, first, last and always. Our professional staff are employed by you to deliver the best results possible, in a speedy and efficient manner but always with integrity.
We abhor the actions of Thomas Byrne and fully endorse the comments made by Judge Patrick McCartan when imposing his 16 year sentence and we are equally dismayed that Thomas Byrne received a fine of €15,000 instead of a recommendation to be struck off when found guilty by the solicitors’ disciplinary tribunal in 2006 after a Law Society investigation found a deficit of €1.7 million in his client account.
We apologise, in principle, to his victims who were duped by a criminal mastermind while ostensibly operating a legitimate professional practise. We can but hang our head in shame and embarrassment and redouble our efforts to live by our own high standards.