A man who shot and killed his lawyer because of a perception that the lawyer had failed to properly represent him in a family law matter has had his 28-year sentenced reduced.

In 2006, Sydney man John Thomas Glascott fatally shot his former lawyer, David Robinson, after Robinson caught him trying to set fire to his office building.

Robinson had previously acted for Glascott in a family and property dispute in which Glascott believed Robinson had failed to achieve a satisfactory outcome.

On 29 May 2008, Glascott was convicted of Robinson's murder. He was sentenced to 28 years' imprisonment with a non-parole period of 24 years.

Last week, Glascott sought leave to appeal against his conviction and sentence in the Victorian Supreme Court of Appeal. While the appeal against his conviction was quashed, Glascott successfully argued that his sentence was too severe.

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Justices Buchanan, Nettle and Kyrou found that the trial judge had erred in finding that general deterrence was "especially important in the circumstances" of the case and, as such, the sentence was found to have been "manifestly excessive".

Glascott's sentence was revised to 24 years' imprisonment with a non-parole period of 20 years.