The duty in context
No baseless or threatened misconduct report profession
The lawyer must not make or threaten a professional-misconduct allegation or report without a genuine, reasonably held and bona fide belief that it applies.
How the codes express this duty
E&W Solicitors SRA Principles & Code no clear equivalent
E&W Barristers BSB Handbook rC67 strong 50 cases
rC67 You must never make, or threaten to make, a report under Rule rC66 without a genuine and reasonably held belief that Rule rC66 applies.
BSB Handbook · current · archived copy · official source ↗
Cayman Islands Legal Services Code 2026 no clear equivalent
AU Solicitors Solicitors' Conduct Rules Rule 32.1 strong 196 cases
A solicitor must not make an allegation against another Australian legal practitioner of unsatisfactory professional conduct or professional misconduct unless the allegation is made bona fide and the solicitor believes on reasonable grounds that available material by which the allegation could be supported provides a proper basis for it.
Australian Solicitors' Conduct Rules · 2015 (June 2026 compilation) · archived copy · official source ↗
AU Barristers Uniform Barristers Rules no clear equivalent
IE Solicitors Law Society Guide no clear equivalent
IE Barristers Bar Code of Conduct no clear equivalent
JM Attorneys Canons of Professional Ethics no clear equivalent
JE Lawyers Law Society of Jersey Code no clear equivalent
ON Lawyers LSO Rules of Prof. Conduct r 3.2-5(b); r 7.1-3 commentary [1] partial
3.2-5 A lawyer shall not, in an attempt to gain a benefit for a client, threaten, or advise a client to threaten, without reasonable and lawful justification ... (b) to make a complaint to a regulatory authority. [7.1-3 commentary [1]: In all cases, the report must be made without malice or ulterior motive. 3.2-5 commentary [1]: It is an abuse of the process of a court or, ordinarily, a regulatory authority to threaten to make or advance a charge or complaint in order to secure the satisfaction of a private grievance.]
Law Society of Ontario — Rules of Professional Conduct · current · archived copy · official source ↗
BC Lawyers BC Code r 7.1-3, commentary [2] partial 41 cases
Nothing in this paragraph is meant to interfere with the lawyer-client relationship. In all cases, the report must be made without malice or ulterior motive.
Code of Professional Conduct for British Columbia (BC Code) · 2017 · archived copy · official source ↗
NZ Lawyers Conduct & Client Care Rules r 2.10 strong
A lawyer must not use, or threaten to use, the complaints or disciplinary process for an improper purpose.
Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2008 · SR 2008/214 · archived copy · official source ↗
SCO Solicitors LSS Standards of Conduct no clear equivalent
SG Lawyers Professional Conduct Rules 2015 r 29 (Allegations against another legal practitioner) partial 11 cases
29 Allegations against another legal practitioner
Legal Profession (Professional Conduct) Rules 2015 · 2015 · archived copy · official source ↗
HK Solicitors Solicitors' Guide no clear equivalent
HK Barristers Bar Code of Conduct para 10.50 partial
A practising barrister shall not make any allegation of misconduct or dishonesty against another barrister unless such allegation is supported by reasonably credible evidence.
Code of Conduct of the Bar of the Hong Kong SAR · 2018 · archived copy · official source ↗
Cases dealing with this duty
522 decisions · link basis: found breached = a tribunal finding; rule cited = the mapped provision is cited in the decision; text match = high-precision text pattern
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Christopher James Hibbert
Fined | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered December 05, 2018. View PDF FORMAL ORDER OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO: 194/2017 IN THE MATTER OF GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL (HILARY…
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An Bui
In respect of Charge 1 there is a fiding that the Respondent has committed professional misconduct. In respect of Charge 2 there is a finding that the Respondent has committed professional misconduct
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Keith Nicholas Linedale Sullivan
Guilty of professional misconduct on all charges.
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NICHOLAS NEIL PETER OUD
Professional Misconduct, Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct
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Diane Elise Jobson
Fined | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered October 27, 2018. View PDF FORMAL ORDER OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO: 183/2017 IN THE MATTER OF GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL (RICHARD…
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Jerome Alexander Dixon
Struck off | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered October 27, 2018. || RESULT: Guilty of Professional Misconduct | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered October 01, 2018. View PDF of Decision View PDF of Formal…
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Carlton Melbourne
Fined | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered October 27, 2018. View PDF FORMAL ORDER OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO: 199/2017 IN THE MATTER OF GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL (HILARY …
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Thomson, Craig Robert
1. Theft and misappropriation of funds belonging to the Health Services Union and abuse of fiduciary or a quasi-fiduciary relationship over an extended period 2. Failure to disclose Federal Court findings as to contrave…
Costs Removal of lawyer's name from the Roll of Local Lawyers $0.00 Proceedings Instituted 1 PDF View decision -
Lancelot A. St. Martin Cowan
Struck off | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered September 20, 2018. || RESULT: Guilty of Professional Misconduct | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered March 14, 2018. View PDF DECISION ON SANCTION IN THE MA…
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Tamika Kahlilah Spencer
Fined | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered September 15, 2018. View PDF FORMAL ORDER OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO: 189/2017 IN THE MATTER OF GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL (ALLAN…
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Courtney Akinwale Kazembe
Fined | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered September 15, 2018. View PDF FORMAL ORDER OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO: 139/2017 IN THE MATTER OF GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL (ALLAN…
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Charles Alcides Pullar Ganga-Singh
Fined | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered September 15, 2018. View PDF FORMAL ORDER OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO: 80/2014 IN THE MATTER OF GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL (HILARY…
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Do, Ngoc Tien
1. Breach of section 254 LPA 2004 - Certain trust money to be deposited in general trust account 2. Inappropriately and without authorisation paid monies to himself 3. Failed to arrange registration of transfer of title…
Removal of lawyer's name from the Roll of Local Lawyers $0.00 Proceedings Instituted 1 PDF View decision -
Peter Brown
The respondents conduct constitutes professional misconduct
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Norma E. Greig Miller
Reprimanded | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered July 28, 2018. View PDF FORMAL ORDER OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO: 151/2017 IN THE MATTER OF GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL (ALLA…
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Lenworth A. Burke
Fined | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered July 28, 2018. View PDF FORMAL ORDER OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO: 157/2017 IN THE MATTER OF GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL (NOVAR PATR…
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Lindsay Terence LAWRENCE
1. Declared respondent's conduct subject of charges 1, 3, 4 & 5 amounts to professional misconduct. 2. Charge 2 dismissed
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Erich Hein CONRADIE
Guilty professional misconduct on charges 1, 3 and 4.
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Leonie Marie Campbell
Fined | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered May 19, 2018. View PDF FORMAL ORDER OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO: 167/2017 IN THE MATTER OF GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL (RICHARD AYO…
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Grant Reuben FORWARD
Guilty of one count of professional misconduct for being convicted of a serious criminal offence.
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Jacqueline Marie Minto
Fined | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered May 05, 2018. View PDF FORMAL ORDER OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO: 145/2017 IN THE MATTER OF GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL (ALLAN WOOD …
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Arnaldo Alphanso Brown
Fined | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered April 14, 2018. View PDF FORMAL ORDER OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO: 136/2017 IN THE MATTER OF GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL (ALLAN WOO…
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Michael James QUINN
Guilty of professional misconduct on all charges.
Duty classification does not yet cover every jurisdiction (Ontario, New Zealand and Singapore decisions are indexed but not yet duty-classified), so counts here understate those corpora.