Judicial Factor appointed to Aberdeen law firm

The Law Society of Scotland has successfully petitioned the Court of Session to appoint a Judicial Factor to Aberdeen legal practice Matthew Cohen and Associates today, Wednesday, 13 December.

Morna Grandison, Director of Interventions at the Law Society, was appointed by the court as the interim Judicial Factor. As an officer of the court, the Judicial Factor will act independently of the Law Society of Scotland and take the appropriate steps in connection with the ongoing management of the practice. She will also respond to queries from clients.

The application was made to the court to protect clients' interests after a Law Society inspection of the firm’s books raised concerns about the accounting records. Following a decision by the Society’s Client Protection Sub-Committee, solicitor Matthew Cohen was suspended from practice on Thursday, 7 December. He is unable to practice as a solicitor until further notice.

Lorna Jack, Chief Executive at the Law Society, said: “We take our responsibility to protect the public extremely seriously and set and enforce high standards for Scottish solicitors. We have a range of consumer protections in place including carrying out regular inspections and investigations into the books, records and conduct of law firms in Scotland.

“We can confirm that we suspended Mr Cohen from practice following an inspection by the Law Society’s financial compliance team, in advance of today’s appointment of a Judicial Factor.

“The Judicial Factor will now secure the premises of Matthew Cohen and Associates Limited and all of the accounting records and make arrangements for the continuation of ongoing legal work.”

Clients of the firm who have any queries can contact the Law Society on 0131 476 8195.