Anthony Burns

Introduction

Anthony Burns is an England and Wales solicitor, admitted in December 1989, who was struck off the roll by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) in 2026. The case against him arose from his failure to comply with the final decision of the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) — compliance that required the ombudsman to obtain a court order to enforce — and from further failures to comply with court orders in a timely manner. He was also found to have caused or allowed inaccurate and/or misleading information to be provided to his firm’s prospective insurers. Burns, a sole practitioner, did not attend and was not represented before the tribunal, and the three-person panel agreed to continue the substantive hearing in his absence, finding he had not engaged in the proceedings. He was ordered to pay £39,335.90 in costs.

Background Information

Burns was the recognised sole practitioner, owner and manager at Mawdsleys Solicitors, a Southport-based firm. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) intervened in the firm in August 2024 and suspended Burns’ practising certificate. The allegations underlying the case related to his role as a trustee, in which he managed the estate of a client and held and invested sums on behalf of a person identified in the proceedings as Person A until she was 18. A complaint was later made to the Legal Ombudsman by Person A’s mother, after she informed the firm that Person A was turning 18 in July 2016 and requested the withdrawal of the funds.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Adjudicated. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal found the allegations against Burns proved after a hearing he did not attend, described his conduct as reckless and his actions as planned, and found them aggravated by proven dishonesty relating to information omitted from insurance proposal forms. The findings are regulatory adjudications, made before the SDT — not criminal convictions; the 2008 money-laundering conviction itself was a criminal matter on which he was fined £2,000.

Four allegations were put before the tribunal: that Burns failed to comply with the final decision of the Legal Ombudsman, requiring the LeO to obtain a court order to enforce its decision; that he failed to comply in a timely manner with the court order obtained by the LeO from Liverpool County Court; that he caused or allowed inaccurate and/or misleading information to be provided to the firm’s prospective insurers; and that he failed to comply with court orders in a timely manner. The tribunal found all the allegations proved.

The underlying complaint traced back to the trust. In 2017, the LeO found the firm had failed to release the funds, failed to engage substantively with the investigation and failed to respond properly to the complaint. It directed the firm to pay £400 compensation and to confirm in writing the balance of the investments and the date on which the funds would be released. Burns paid the compensation in August 2022, but the trust funds remained unpaid. The LeO applied to the county court to enforce its decision, and an order was made in January 2023; Burns later confirmed the investment amount and paid the outstanding sums.

Separately, Burns was found to have left information out of insurance proposal forms, including his 2008 conviction related to a money laundering offence, for which he had been fined £2,000.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The tribunal found his conduct had been reckless, adding: ‘Whilst the non-compliance was serious in and of itself, the fact that repeated applications to court were necessary demonstrated Mr Burns’ failure to comply with his obligations.’ On sanction, the SDT said striking Burns off the roll was the ‘only appropriate and proportionate sanction’. ‘His actions were planned,’ the tribunal said, and his conduct was ‘aggravated by his proven dishonesty’. Burns was also ordered to pay £39,335.90 in costs.

Current Status

Burns is struck off the roll, which removes his ability to practise as a solicitor in England and Wales, and he was ordered to pay £39,335.90 in costs. The sanction came on top of the SRA’s August 2024 intervention in Mawdsleys Solicitors and the suspension of his practising certificate, and it was entered after a hearing at which he did not appear, was not represented, and was found to have not engaged in the proceedings. The report does not indicate any appeal against the outcome.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The strike-off ends Burns’ career as a solicitor more than three decades after his December 1989 admission. At its core was trust money: sums he held and invested for Person A went unreleased for years after the LeO’s 2017 decision, and even the £400 compensation the firm was directed to pay only went out in August 2022, with the trust funds themselves following only after the county court order of January 2023. Layered on top was the dishonesty finding — information omitted from insurance proposal forms, including a 2008 money laundering conviction — which the tribunal treated as an aggravating feature of conduct it described as planned and reckless. The consequences are unusually complete: practice gone, firm intervened, and a striking-off entered after a hearing at which he put up no defence, with £39,335.90 in costs to pay.

Sources

• Law Gazette, “Solicitor struck off over failure to comply with Legal Ombudsman’s decision and court orders,” May 13, 2026 — source