Decision on liability. Date of decision: 28 April 2022.
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Decision on liability. Date of decision: 28 April 2022.
Decision on liability. Date of decision: 8 April 2022.
Decision on liability. Date of decision: 3 March 2022.
Decision on penalty. Date of decision: 24 February 2022.
Decision on liability. Date of decision: 17 February 2022.
Decision on liability. Date of decision: 21 January 2022.
Decision on penalty. Date of decision: 21 January 2022.
Decision on penalty. Date of decision: 13 January 2022.
Penalty / misconduct / duty of candour / failure to disclose relevant information to High Court in without notice application / whether suspension necessary / HELD / one-off reckless breach / no deliberate omission / no aggravating features / no prior disciplinary history / unable to cope with growth of sole practice / merged with large law firm to manage capacity, disclosed investigation, acknowledged failings and has support and supervision / Tribunal considered no risk of practitioner repeating conduct / high level of remorse, insight and responsibility for actions / practitioner incurred significant cost in disciplinary proceedings / notable community involvement and pro bono contributions / practitioner sought to use experience to educate young women about learning from mistakes / suspension not necessary / Tribunal ordered censure and $15,000 fine / practitioner to pay Standards Committee’s and Tribunal’s costs / interim suppression order of practitioner’s name discharged
Penalty / practitioner admitted two charges of misconduct and found guilty of another / conveyancing transaction involving transfer of property owned by practitioner mother to company owned by the practitioner and her husband / practitioner then borrowed additional money against the property / conflict of interest / failing to protect client’s interests / misleading conduct / appropriate penalty / HELD / practitioner did not present risk to other clients or public / no need for fine or censure / features of misconduct (inattention to practitioner’s mother and securing additional funds against the property) understandable although grievous / Tribunal ordered 10-week suspension / practitioner to pay Standards Committee’s and Tribunal’s costs
Penalty / misconduct for sending letters containing false allegations and speculation to employers of people involved in family court case / HELD / Standards Committee’s penalty submissions focused on a punitive outcome / penalty can pursue more than one goal / Tribunal needs to disapprove of misconduct, but compensation and rehabilitation also relevant / practitioner needs to be challenged about her practice and to account for her choices / required to undertake professional supervision for a minimum of one year / ordered to compensate each victim $3,000 / Tribunal ordered six-week suspension / practitioner to pay Standards Committee’s and Tribunal’s costs
Penalty / practitioner admitted misconduct for misappropriation of $1 million / accepted they would be struck off / did not accept further charge of obstructing and frustrating the Standards Committee’s investigative processes / whether practitioner liable for obstruction / if so, whether misconduct or unsatisfactory conduct / HELD / obstruction charge made out / practitioner failed to provide files and documents despite repeated requests / behaviour cannot be ignored even though practitioner will inevitably be struck off / message needs to be sent to the legal community and the community at large that this behaviour is serious / obstruction was misconduct / conduct not excused by practitioner’s mental stress / Tribunal ordered practitioner be struck off and imposed censure for obstruction / practitioner to pay Standards Committee’s and Tribunal’s costs
Liability / practitioner assisted a person to avoid GST in his property development business, outside his legal practice / then failed to account for GST / personal misconduct / whether conduct misconduct / Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006, section 7(1)(b) / HELD / although IRD declined to pursue action, Tribunal obliged to determine charges laid / offer to complete job as a “cashie” and subsequent accounting miscoding demonstrates intention to assist tax avoidance / disregard of practitioner’s tax and company law obligations / not a fit and proper person to be a lawyer at that time / s 7(1)(b)(ii) test met / misconduct charge proved
Liability / duty of candour / failure to disclose relevant information to High Court in without notice application / whether conduct is misconduct / High Court Rules 2016, rule 32.2 / Lawyers and Conveyancers (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2008, rule 2.1 / rule 13.1 / HELD / should have disclosed a refused analogous Family Court application, a claim by opposing party, and a potential defence / outcome of proceedings affected / practitioner’s explanation to Tribunal differed from submissions to Committee / reckless breach of duty of candour / practitioner’s forum shopping of “significant concern” / misconduct charge proved / Tribunal could not infer deliberate omission of documents without evidence from employee / practitioner obliged to provide as much information as available to assist Tribunal / interim name suppression granted
Liability / practitioner charged with misconduct for six incidents, involving physical/sexual contact, or intimate touching against multiple summer clerks at two firm social events while intoxicated / whether conduct is professional or personal / whether conduct accidental / section 239 / HELD / firm-sponsored team building activities not unconnected with provision of legal services / applicable standard is professional misconduct under s 7(1)(a) / summer clerks’ evidence accepted and compelling / conduct disgraceful or dishonourable or a reckless breach of rule 12 for failing to model required standards of behaviour / also meets higher misconduct threshold for personal conduct / partner obliged to model appropriate behaviour for junior staff, self-regulate to ensure propriety and not abuse power imbalances / conduct not accidental / evidence of previous conduct around women relevant / practitioner’s evidence evolved over disciplinary process, explanations unreliable.
Penalty / practitioner admitted charge laid under s 241(d) / conviction for obstructing the exercise of power under the Overseas Investment Act 2005 / practitioner nominated his company to acquire land his purchaser client did not have Overseas Investment Office (OIO) consent to acquire / also provided false information and a false loan document to OIO / Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006, section 241(d) / HELD / dishonesty conviction very serious / prior unsatisfactory conduct finding an aggravating feature / mitigating features include early acceptance of guilt, remorse, contribution to Korean community, and practitioner’s financial circumstances / Tribunal ordered suspension of just under six months / practitioner to pay Tribunal costs
Penalty / admitted misconduct / practitioner-controlled company was nominally owed a debt truly owned by a trust / practitioner agreed to settle debt without trustee approval / paid $70,000 to persons not connected to the trust, taking some of the remainder as fees / Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006, section 243(1)(g) / HELD / no uplift in penalty for prior findings of professional negligence and misconduct / Tribunal concerned with practitioner’s practice / practitioner failed to protect the trust’s interests / paid money to other persons / applied money to fees without authority / defended proceedings / mitigating factors included admission of facts and contribution to community / Tribunal ordered censure, 12-month suspension and prohibition on practising on their own account, in partnership or otherwise, until authorised by Tribunal / practitioner to pay Standards Committee’s and Tribunal’s costs / no reason to depart from general rule practitioner must pay costs
Liability / practitioner acted on conveyancing transaction for her mother in conflict of interest / whether practitioner engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct towards her mother / promised to document arrangement and to register a caveat / whether promises dishonestly made / practitioner admitted two other misconduct charges / Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006, section 7(1)(a) / Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2008, rule 11.1 / HELD / assuring her mother that her interest in the property would be protected, and promising to document the transaction but not doing so, was likely to mislead or deceive / misleading representations comprise a form of recklessness, wilful blindness / s 7(1)(a)(ii) test met / misconduct charge proved
Penalty / trust account administrator stole $2,570 from firm / admitted wrongdoing and fully cooperated with employer and Law Society / whether order prohibiting employment by a lawyer or incorporated law firm should be imposed / Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006, section 240 / section 242(1)(h)(ii) / HELD / Tribunal made order prohibiting employment by a lawyer or incorporated law firm / granted permanent name suppression and prohibited publication of administrator’s name / thefts unlike usual behaviour / little likelihood of repeating this action / Tribunal did not regard administrator as someone about whom the public needed to be warned / hearing was public and those who need to know will be advised of identity / permanent suppression of material recording personal stressors / administrator has behaved in exemplary manner to bring matter to conclusion and has brought on herself severe and ongoing consequences / accordingly no costs ordered against administrator
Liability and penalty / relationship with a prisoner for whom the practitioner had previously acted as an employee lawyer / practitioner’s employer declined to act for the prisoner, but the practitioner continued contact in dishonest circumstances / whether conduct misconduct / Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006, section 7(1)(a) / Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2008, rule 2 / rule 2.4 / rule 5.7 / rule 11.1 / rule 12 / HELD / conduct occurred while providing regulated services / conduct disgraceful and dishonourable / serious end of misconduct spectrum / breach of relationship of trust and degree of deception involved / mitigating factor that practitioner had only worked as an employee lawyer for three months prior / offending lasted six days / Tribunal ordered 12-month suspension and prohibited to practice on own account until authorised by Tribunal / practitioner to pay half of costs sought by Standards Committee ($7,000) and Tribunal’s costs
Liability / care of children proceedings / practitioner sent letters to various parties containing false allegations and speculation regarding hacking of social media accounts, and seeking IP addresses / misconduct or unsatisfactory conduct / Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006, section 7(1)(a) / section 12 / Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2008, rule 12 / HELD / Tribunal found misconduct / sending letters with knowledge they would cause difficulties for the ex‑partner and their new partner in employment / making false assertions and raising false inferences / sending letters to a party unrelated to the matters / giving negative views about the ex-partner and their new partner’s alleged wrongdoing / repeated assertion to Committee that Notes of Evidence supported practitioner’s stance was deliberately misleading / wilful and reckless contraventions of r 12 / alternatively, unsatisfactory conduct
Penalty / misconduct for corresponding with another person in an offensive, abusive and threatening manner / District Court granted harassment order against practitioner and condemned conduct / HELD / survey of principles of deterrence and denunciation / at the most serious end of the scale / aggravating factors include repeated nature of conduct, use of language against unrepresented party, misogyny in abusive comments, persistent conduct after being told to stop, and the lack of prompt apology and insight / mitigating that practitioner pled guilty, previous good character, and the effect of suspension on practitioner’s financial commitments and clients / Tribunal ordered four-month suspension and censure / practitioner to pay Standards Committee’s and Tribunal’s costs
Penalty / practitioner admitted unsatisfactory conduct for failing to provide file to Standards Committee when requested and continuing to do so for 18 months / suspension or fine / Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006, section 3 / HELD / censure and fine may not be enough to motivate practitioner to comply with the Committee’s demands / practitioner had history of adverse disciplinary findings, indicating “a practice with several aspects of laxity” / practitioner’s actions and prior history raised suspension as a fair prospect / Tribunal ordered finding of unsatisfactory conduct, $8,000 fine, and censure / practitioner to pay Standards Committee’s and Tribunal’s costs / client granted permanent name suppression
Penalty / unsatisfactory conduct for failing to pay compensation as ordered in a timely manner / HELD / full range of penalties available when unsatisfactory conduct charged proved, but misconduct is more serious than unsatisfactory conduct / failure to comply with disciplinary sanctions typically considered unsatisfactory conduct / LCRO reviewed compensation order / non-compliance with order runs from date of LCRO decision / Tribunal ordered censure, practitioner to compensate client $600 for loss of use of money, and to pay $6,000 fine and Standards Committee’s full costs, and Tribunal’s costs
Penalty / practitioner admitted unsatisfactory conduct by failing to alert complainant and the complainant’s business entities that practitioner was personally contributing to loans from their client / appropriate penalty / Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2008, rule 5.4.1 / rule 5.4.2 / HELD / censure not appropriate, as oversight did not prejudice client / Tribunal had no underlying concern about practitioner’s professional practice / ordered $5,000 fine / permanent name suppression for provider, client and associated entities / costs hearing to follow