A solicitor from Brightlingsea has been fined £500 for wrongly deducting cash from a client in a legally-aided divorce case.

At a Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal in London on Wednesday Philip Totenhofer, of Queens Street, admitted deducting £2,244.25 from his successful client in breach of Legal Aid regulations.

Rosemary Rollason, for the Law Society, told the tribunal the case was at the "lower end of the scale" but Mr Totenhofer had been in breach of the regulations that he would not be a party to any payment to himself except out of the funds.

In mitigation, Mr Totenhofer said he had taken his wrong action in the belief that he would save his client money.

He had subsequently paid compensation and tax.

Tribunal chairman Adrian Gaynor-Smith said the offence was at the lower end of the scale but it was important that Legal Aid Board rules were followed.

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