C. Judith Pantry

Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision

In [2018] JMCA Civ 22 the Jamaican Court of Appeal heard consolidated appeals by attorney/parish court judge Jennes Anderson against a General Legal Council Disciplinary Committee decision that had reprimanded her and ordered $350,000 costs for failing to file accountant's reports/declarations (regulation 16(1)). The Court held the Committee lost disciplinary jurisdiction once she was appointed a parish court judge in 2005 (jurisdiction then vesting in the Judicial Service Commission), that the Committee wrongly refused to allow withdrawal of the complaint, that the costs award was excessive and unprincipled, and that the delay was prejudicial. No dishonesty was found. The appeal was allowed, the Committee's decision and orders set aside, and costs awarded to the appellant.

Duties found breached:

• Report serious misconduct of others

Mitigating factors:

• Appellant was a salaried employee, never in private practice, held no trust money and exposed no client/public to loss
• Had since complied by filing the required declarations
• Had been appointed a parish court judge (judicial officer) and was no longer practising
• Lengthy and prejudicial delay in prosecuting the complaint
• Complainant had herself applied to withdraw the complaint

⚠ figures not found verbatim in the source were dropped: ["review_dishonesty_finding_cue_present"]