Luke Adamson: lawyer sentenced over $1.5m fraud

At the same time he was taking $1.5 million from his clients, fraudster lawyer Luke Adamson was being interviewed for a position on the court bench. In a dramatic fall from grace he now delivers goods and reads electricity meters to earn a living.

Former lawyer Luke Adamson, pictured, leaves the Downing Centre Local Court. He is facing potential jail time after stealing $1.49m from vulnerable clients. Picture: Monique Harmer

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A northern beaches solicitor once considered for a job as a magistrate defrauded clients out of $1.49 million and spent large amounts of money on wining and dining colleagues, a court has heard.

Luke Adamson, 56, had a raft of desperate clients at the time he misappropriated the funds from them at his Manly and Parramatta practices over a number of years.

It is understood many of his allegedly defrauded clients included disabled people, the elderly and also people in prison.

Adamson removed the funds from their trust accounts for a number of years before complaints were made to the NSW Law Society in 2013.

The closest Luke Adamson ever got to the bench was when he sat in the dock at court today. Picture: Supplied.

The 56-year-old, who was sacked by Anglicare when news of his arrest broke last year, told the Downing Centre District Court on Thursday he denied the expenses were used to benefit him.

Giving evidence, Adamson said he spent money on events he organised for the regional law society, his children’s school fees or for professional functions at wine clubs while taking his clients’ money.

“I was under the mistaken belief that the authority gave me the power to deal with money in which way I wanted to and it didn’t,” he said.

“I was completely wrong … I was a good lawyer but I was a terrible administrator.”

The court was told Adamson’s practice had a turnover of nearly $2 million and he had even been interviewed for a judicial appointment as a magistrate in 2010 before his downfall.

Luke Adamson pictured leaving the Downing Centre on Thursday. Picture: Monique Harmer

Adamson said he watched on as all his school friends were appointed to the bench.

However, when hard times hit Adamson had then decided to use money in his clients’ trust fund to effectively run his practice.

He denied living a “lavish” lifestyle and pleaded guilty to several counts of fraud.

Adamson has since turned to reading electricity meters, labouring and delivering goods to earn a living since his arrest, the court was told.

Judge Deborah Sweeney adjourned his case to be heard back in the same court next month.

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