Judicial Factor appointed to Dalbeattie law firm

Dalbeattie law firm, Austins LLP, ceased trading as of Wednesday 7 February and the Law Society of Scotland have successfully petitioned the Court of Session to appoint a Judicial Factor today, Friday, 16 February.

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 to ensure that any outstanding business is properly concluded. She will also respond to queries from clients.

Austins sole practitioner, David Currie was sequestrated, as a result of which, his practising certificate ceased to be valid. For that reason, Mr Currie has been suspended from practising as a Scottish solicitor.

Lorna Jack, Chief Executive at the Law Society, said: “We can confirm that Mr Currie has been suspended and he is not currently permitted to practise as a Scottish solicitor.

“We take our regulatory responsibilities extremely seriously and are committed to ensuring that the public interests are protected when things do go wrong. In this circumstance, the appointed Judicial Factor will take every step to ensure that former clients’ issues are managed as quickly and sensitively as possible.

“We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the local legal community and thank them for their cooperation in working towards the most satisfactory outcome.”

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

Further information about Judicial Factor appointments and the client protections provided by the Law Society of Scotland is available on our website.