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Top 10 legal disciplinary stories in 2024
Disciplinary proceedings brought against legal practitioners were some of the most-read stories of the year. Here, we take a look back at 10 of them.
Naomi Neilson
Time and again, Australian legal practitioners went before a court or tribunal for disciplinary proceedings arising out of a number of offences, ranging from lying to clients to kissing the judge presiding over her client’s matter.
Here are the top 10 most-read disciplinary stories in 2024:
1. Local lawyer gets kicked out of profession for 2 years for serious misconduct
A regional lawyer was barred from practising for two years after a series of blunders in one matter, including directing a junior lawyer under her supervision to send a false document to a government agency.
2. Supreme Court puts end to lawyer, notorious law firm
A Victorian lawyer has claimed a “conspiracy” against himself, his colleagues, and their controversial law firm was behind the Legal Services Board’s decision not to renew his practising certificate.
3. Barrister suspended for kissing, texting family law judge
A West Australian counsel who had a “close, personal relationship” with the judge presiding over her client’s matter has been fined and suspended from practising for nine months.
4. Bizarre drunk emails to Chief Justice, Law Society sees aspiring lawyer denied admission
An aspiring lawyer will not be admitted into the profession after she sent thousands of bizarre emails to a Chief Justice’s associate and a Law Society, including unintelligible rants about urinary tract infections, Valium, bottles of wine, and butter on toast.
5. QLD lawyer to be struck off after disappearing act
Despite a claim he would “aggressively” chase a client’s matter, a Queensland lawyer failed to make any progress for years at a time.
6. Lying lawyer admits to professional misconduct
A West Australian lawyer was hit with a professional misconduct finding for lying to his clients and a court.
7. Perth lawyer guilty of professional misconduct for affidavit mishap
A Perth lawyer was hit with a $23,000 fine for carelessly affirming an affidavit despite a senior associate’s concerns.
8. Former silk cannot shake findings he ‘thwarted’ administration of justice
A disgraced barrister tossed out of the profession because of his misconduct in the Banksia class action has failed to appeal findings that he thwarted the administration of justice for financial gain.
9. Sydney solicitor hit with $1m penalty for misleading creditor scheme
A Sydney solicitor who promoted a “false and misleading” asset protection scheme was handed a $1 million penalty, banned from managing corporations, and told to refund millions to duped students.
10. Family lawyer told client to ‘ignore’ divorce hearing
A family lawyer was reprimanded for purposefully delaying divorce proceedings and advising his client to “ignore” the hearing.
Naomi Neilson
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
You can email Naomi at:
