A Roscommon solicitor was censured by the High Court for a 2006 conflict of interest in a land deal, though no dishonesty was found.

Declan O’Callaghan, a Roscommon solicitor, has been formally censured by the High Court for a 2006 land transaction in Mayo where he represented both vendor and purchaser without ensuring the vendor received independent legal advice, a breach of professional standards. While the court upheld only one of four misconduct allegations, it found the conflict of interest seriously flawed and damaging to the profession’s reputation, though no dishonesty was proven. O’Callaghan, suspended since 2018 over unrelated matters, argued the transaction was tied to a bank loan and that a €250,000 figure related to land valuation, not payment. The Law Society sought only censure, and the court declined to award costs to either side.