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An Ottawa lawyer with serious memory problems has been disbarred after failing to help the Law Society of Ontario investigate complaints made by a raft of clients who are collectively owed more than $2.5 million.

Paul Thomas McEnery, now 69, suffered a stroke in the summer of 2013, but resumed practice months later at the Gilmour Street offices of Williams McEnery Barristers and Solicitors.

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Almost all of the of the professional misconduct established by the Law Society Tribunal this week relates to events that took place after his stroke.

McEnery did not provide investigators with any of the documents they requested during a long and complicated probe into 23 complaints about events that took place between March 2010 and November 2015. He said he was unable to tell the Law Society exactly what happened to the missing money.

Most of the complaints relate to funds held in trust — or for investment purposes — that he misappropriated or directed to other clients. Some of the money was held in trust for estates, while other funds came from the sale of houses and condos.