Jail for 'legal adviser' who was not qualified to advise

Published on Tuesday 2 June 2009 22:01

A SELF-STYLED "legal adviser" who represented people fighting deportation from the UK has been jailed.

James McDonald, 61, of Stirling, was found guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court of providing advice while not being qualified. He prepared legal documents, sent letters to government officials and even appeared in court on behalf of his "clients", despite not being qualified to do so.

The self-styled paralegal claimed he was acting under the supervision of a now-dead QC.

Prosecutors launched an investigation after worried members of the legal community complained about him.

McDonald represented himself during a two-week trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in March, after which a jury found him guilty of four offences under the Immigration and Asylum Act.

Yesterday, Sheriff Alasdair Noble jailed McDonald for 12 months.

The jury heard from a string of legal witnesses who had raised concerns over McDonald's involvement in five immigration cases.