Allen Ronald Routledge and Margaret Ann Mary QuillApplication 8050/1999Hearing, 6 April 2000;reasons, 9 June 2000

The SDT ordered Mr Routledge (admitted 1971) of Paddock Woods, Wormley, Surrey GU8 5TR, and Ms Quill (admitted 1979) of the same address, who practised in partnership together, each to pay a penalty of 1,500 for unbefitting conduct, in that they had failed to deliver an accountant's report to the Law Society, contrary to s.34 of the Solicitors Act 1974; and they had failed to comply with a decision of the Professional Regulation Casework Sub-committee (calling for the report to be filed within 28 days).

The tribunal sympathised with the difficult personal circumstances of the respondents, but they appeared not to have instructed their accountants to give proper priority to the production of the report, which had not been filed at the date of the hearing.

The SDT was unlikely to adopt such a lenient stance if the respondents should again be guilty of delay in regard to filing a report.

The respondents were ordered to pay 731 costs on a joint and several basis.