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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DANIEL CANUTE LYLE BULL
Unsatisfactory Conduct
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JANET WALTON
Unprofessional Conduct and Unsatisfactory Conduct by way of Unprofessional Conduct and Suspended
Unprofessional Conduct and Unsatisfactory Conduct by way of Unprofessional Conduct and Suspended 1 PDF View decision -
John William TOWERS
Guilty of professional misconduct on 2 charges. Guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct on 9 charges.
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E.H. Williams
Struck off, Restitution ordered | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered January 14, 2006. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE COMPLAINT NO. 175/2002 CARLENE PETERS COMPLAINANT E.H.WILLIAMS RESPONDENT - A…
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Ather Rafique
Breaches, Others
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Mohammed Shoaib Sayeed
Criminal Convictions, Others
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Annabella Sau Fung Lai-Burke
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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John Andrew Littler
Others
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HAYDN WESLEY DIXON
Struck Off the Roll of Practitioners
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Tung NGUYEN
Guilty of professional misconduct on 2 charges.
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CLARENCE JAMES STEVENS
Unsatisfactory Conduct by Unprofessional Conduct and Suspended
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Sahade, Marcel Victor
1. In July and August 1999 Marcel Victor Sahade lodged 353 applications to pre-register for shares in the so-called ?Telstra 2 Share Offer? using dishonest tricks and devices for the purpose of concealing the fact that …
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Sean Bourke
Record no 2005 no 32 SA In the matter of Sean Bourke, a solicitor practising as Sean Bourke, 29 Upper Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin 2, and in the matter of the Solicitors Acts 1954-2002 Law Society of Ireland (applicant) S…
strike_off View decision -
Michael Vincent TWOHILL
Guilty of professional misconduct.
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Doueihi, Michael John
1. Breaches of Clause 80 of the Legal Profession Regulation 2005 - in relation to controlled money 2. Breaches of Clause 82 of the Legal Profession Regulation 2005 - in relation to trust account statements 3. Breaches o…
Reprimand $0.00 Proceedings Instituted View decision -
Derrick J. Darby
Struck Off, Restitution ordered | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered February 19, 2005. View PDF FORMAL ORDER OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL MADE ON COMPLAINT NO. 210 OF 2002 IN THE MA…
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Hill, John Frederick William
1 .Wilful breach of Section 61 of the Legal Profession Act, 1987 - handling of trust moneys 2. Misappropriation 3. Wilful breach of Section 62 of the Legal Profession Act, 1987 - failure to keep proper accounting record…
Costs Removal of practitioner's name from the Roll of Local Lawyers $0.00 Proceedings Instituted 1 PDF View decision -
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Matthew Jones
Others
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Purcell Robert Michael Brown
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Stephen John HOCKEY
Guilty of professional misconduct
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TERENCE JAMES MALONE
Struck Off the Roll of Practitioners
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.