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ARTICLE · 30 JUNE 2022

Complaints and discipline - Ethics Check for Lawyers Series

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Types of complaint that can result in disciplinary proceedings for lawyers and the range of orders that may be made.

AustraliaLaw Practice Management
Jennifer Shaw
Jennifer Shaw
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According to the most recent Annual Report of The Office of the Legal Services Commissioner (OLSC), 2,714 written complaints were made against NSW legal practitioners in 2020-2021, of which 1,405 were assessed as disciplinary matters.

Disciplinary proceedings initiated against solicitors and barristers are heard in the occupational division of the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Each case is decided on its own facts. In this bulletin we discuss the purpose of disciplinary proceedings and then review some recent disciplinary decisions of the Tribunal. Finally, we discuss a recent case decided on 12 April 2022 in which the Law Society of NSW successfully applied for the removal of a solicitor's name from the roll pursuant to the Court's inherent supervisory jurisdiction.

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