Solicitor Alain Baillie struck off

Mr Baillie has a conflict of interest while acting in a land ownership dispute in Argyll.

The Scottish Solicitors’ Discipline Tribunal found he had acted in the interests of both Lorraine Ludman and brothers Andrew and Graeme Mcilvride over the deal.

He made two payments from Ms Ludman to Andrew Mcilvride – without her knowledge – in order to settle two bills.

Ms Ludman paid her then-partner Andrew Mcilvride £140,000 for the land between 2009 and 2015 but never received the deeds. Their relationship ended in 2016. In 2021, Mr Mcilvride was ordered to repay Ms Ludman Oban Sheriff Court.

During that case, a ledger card revealed two payments made by Mr Baillie from Ms Ludman to Mr Mcilvride, of £1,380, without her knowledge.

Mr Baillie claimed in court he had not represented Ms Ludman. But the SSDT found that his actions had led to Ms Ludman believing they had a client-solicitor relationship. The appropriate sanction was to strike him off.

The SSDT stated: “It is determined that the appropriate sanction in all the circumstances, having particular regard to the analogous previous conviction, was a strike off.”

The case comes 10 years after Mr Baillie was fined £10,000 at a tribunal for “serious and reprehensible” misconduct after he breached his obligations in 10 property deals.