Cavan solicitor struck off for dishonest handling of clients' money

Ronan O'Brien has to pay costs of €15k in the case taken against him

CAVAN solicitor, Ronan O’Brien, has today been struck off the Roll of Solicitors effectively stripping him off his right to practice law.

Mr O’Brien, who operated Ronan O’Brien & Co Solicitors on Church Street, Cavan Town was suspended from the roll of solicitors in April 2024 after the Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) received a complaint from two of his clients the previous September.

William and Lorraine Kehoe alleged Mr O’Brien held about €300,000 from the sale of their property in Virginia since July 2021 and had failed to remit this sum to Start Mortgages.

The payment went through on April 18 of 2025, approximately two weeks before an emergency Law Society committee hearing found he had been “dishonest” in his handling of the monies.

Today, the President of the High Court, Mr Justice David Barniville said: “In my view, Mr O’Brien has forfeited his right to remain on the roll of solicitors” and added that he recommends the “appropriate sanctions” be imposed on the solicitor.

Mr Barniville made the three orders sought by The Law Society of Ireland against Mr O’Brien.

In the first instance, the President struck Ronan O’Brien’s name off the list of the Roll of Solicitors, he also ordered the disgraced solicitor to pay the Law Society’s costs of just over €10,114.50 and also to pay “measured costs” of €3,928 for the Law Society to make its strike-off application.