A lawyer caught with cannabis inside a court building has avoided being struck off.
Michael McKeown, 54, was preparing to speak with a client via video link at Glasgow Sheriff Court when he was searched by police after turning up wearing a Celtic FC training top. He was found to have herbal cannabis and later received a £325 fiscal fine which meant he was spared a court appearance and a criminal record.
The incident took place weeks into the first Covid-19 lockdown in April 2020 which saw court buildings almost totally closed and limited cases called. McKeown, who has been a solicitor since 2005 and is a partner of law firm Callahan McKeown & Co Ltd, was hauled before the Scottish Solicitors' Discipline Tribunal (SSDT) and found guilty of professional misconduct.
