Legal Ethics

An appeals court on Tuesday questioned claims that a tribunal’s decision had the appearance of bias when it found a Sydney barrister guilty of professional misconduct for bringing allegedly unfounded claims against a solicitor.

The peak body for community legal centres has flagged a declassing application in a group proceeding alleging Knowmore Legal Service provided negligent, “cookie cutter” advice to survivors of institutional child sexual abuse. 

A Melbourne solicitor has been fined for applying for compensation on behalf of twenty clients from the Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal for the installation of CCTV systems by a company which she had an interest in.

The South Australian legal watchdog has won its appeal of a decision which found it did not have the power to lay charges against a lawyer accused of “inappropriate and uninvited” sexual contact with a junior solicitor.

A Sydney barrister and solicitor have settled a dispute over a $320,000 bill initially estimated to cost $60,000 after an appeals court found two costs agreements were void and held that courts should take a “purposive approach” to the rules governing costs disclosure obligations. 

A retired Melbourne lawyer has been found unfit to practice after a review of his conduct demonstrated “discourteous, gratuitous, and offensive” conduct towards legal officials during proceedings related to his attempts to benefit from an elderly client’s estate. 

A former client of Moray & Agnew alleges the law firm waited six years after taking instructions before providing it with a costs agreement, claiming it racked up a $330,000 legal bill during this time.

VCAT has found a Melbourne lawyer is not fit to practice after he sent threatening text messages to a witness in proceedings involving his former law firm.

A tribunal has recommended that a Sydney solicitor be struck from the roll after finding him guilty of professional misconduct for sending numerous profane emails to a Mills Oakley solicitor during a dispute, noting the “unrelenting stream of discourteous, insulting or offensive correspondence” directed to the tribunal. 

A law firm partner has avoided personal liability for costs after expert reports were filed late in a dispute with developer Mirvac over alleged defects in a Sydney apartment complex, having walked back an appeal to “competing commitments” that didn’t wash in court.