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discipline 30 September 2026

The duty in context

Not misrepresent regulated status profession

The lawyer must not hold out an unregulated business or person as regulated, and must take reasonable steps to prevent clients wrongly believing a third party is regulated.

272 cases 59% strike-off avg suspension 15.1 mo avg fine 51,577 119 with dishonesty finding

How the codes express this duty

E&W Solicitors SRA Principles & Code CCS 8.10; CCS 5.4 strong 184 cases
8.10 You ensure that clients understand whether and how the services you provide are regulated. This includes: ... (c) ensuring that you do not represent any business or employer which is not authorised by the SRA, including any separate business, as being regulated by the SRA.
E&W Barristers BSB Handbook rC83; rC84; rC19.4 strong 5 cases
rC83 If you refer a client to a third party which is not a BSB authorised person or an authorised (non-BSB) person, you must take reasonable steps to ensure that the client is not wrongly led to believe that the third party is subject to regulation by the Bar Standards Board or by another approved regulator. rC84 You must not have a material commercial interest in any organisation which gives the impression of being, or may be reasonably perceived as being, subject to the regulation of the Bar Standards Board ... where it is not so regulated.
Cayman Islands Legal Services Code 2026 no clear equivalent
AU Solicitors Solicitors' Conduct Rules Rule 39.1 partial 21 cases
the solicitor, or law practice... must take all reasonable steps to ensure that the client is clearly informed about the nature and the terms of the services being provided to the client by the solicitor or law practice, including (if applicable) that the services provided by the other entity are not provided by solicitor or the law practice as legal services.
AU Barristers Uniform Barristers Rules no clear equivalent
IE Solicitors Law Society Guide Ch9 — The solicitor as agent for an institution partial 18 cases
If a solicitor holds an agency for an institution, the office of the solicitor should be clearly seen to be the office of a solicitor and not a branch of the organisation from whom the solicitor holds the agency.
IE Barristers Bar Code of Conduct Rule 2.10 partial 18 cases
Barristers shall not abuse the title Barrister-at-Law or where applicable Senior Counsel, but this rule shall not prohibit the disclosure of their professional qualification by Barristers in a manner consistent with the Code and any instrument made under the Code.
JM Attorneys Canons of Professional Ethics Canon II(a) partial 6 cases
An Attorney shall not hold out any person (not qualified to practise as a lawyer) as a partner, associate consultant or Attorney.
JE Lawyers Law Society of Jersey Code no clear equivalent
ON Lawyers LSO Rules of Prof. Conduct r 4.2-1.1; r 6.1-1 commentary [5.1] strong
4.2-1.1 A lawyer marketing legal services shall specifically identify in all marketing materials that they are licensed as a lawyer. [6.1-1 cmt 5.1: A lawyer should ensure that the non-lawyer is identified as such when communicating orally or in writing with clients, licensees, public officials, or with the public generally.]
BC Lawyers BC Code r 4.2-8 strong 10 cases
A lawyer must not list a person not entitled to practise law in British Columbia on any letterhead or in any other marketing activity without making it clear in the marketing activity that the person is not entitled to practise law in British Columbia.
NZ Lawyers Conduct & Client Care Rules r 2.11 / r 14.13 partial
If a lawyer learns that a person is committing an offence by— ... (c) providing legal services in breach of any of sections 21, 22, or 23 of the Act (which relate to persons, not being lawyers, engaging in misleading conduct regarding their right or qualifications to practise law)— the lawyer must immediately report the matter to the Law Society ...
SCO Solicitors LSS Standards of Conduct no clear equivalent
SG Lawyers Professional Conduct Rules 2015 r 33 (Descriptions) partial 2 cases
33 Descriptions
HK Solicitors Solicitors' Guide Principle 13.04 partial
No solicitor shall wilfully and knowingly: (a) act as agent in any action or in any matter in bankruptcy for any unqualified person; or (b) permit his name to be made use of in any such action or matter upon the account or for the profit of any unqualified person; or ... (d) do any other act enabling any unqualified person to appear, act or practise in any respect as a solicitor.
HK Barristers Bar Code of Conduct no clear equivalent

Cases dealing with this duty

Clear

272 decisions · link basis: found breached = a tribunal finding; rule cited = the mapped provision is cited in the decision; text match = high-precision text pattern

  • Vosnakis, Joseph Con
    OLSC solicitor (Formerly) Vosnakis & Associates [2007] NSWADT 42 2007-01-23 found breached

    1. Failure to comply with a Notice under Section 152 of the Legal Profession Act 1987 2. Borrowed from clients in breach of Rule 12 of the Professional Conduct & Practice Rules 3. Failed to document the loans from clien…

    Costs Removal of practitioner's name from the Roll of Local Lawyers $0.00 Proceedings Instituted 1 PDF View decision
  • Muir, Brian Thomas Gregory
    OLSC solicitor Brian Muir 2007-01-18 found breached

    1. Breached Section 61 of the Legal Profession Act 1987 - handling of trust moneys 2. Breached Section 62 of the Legal Profession Act 1987 - keeping of trust accounts 3. Breached Section 255 of the Legal Profession Act …

    Suspension of Practising Certificate $0.00 About ​ About the OLSC The Commissioner History Mission statement Structure Contact ​ Contact the OLSC Give us your feedback: online surveys Access to information (GIPAA) Community information ​ Information for lawyers Fact sheets FAQs Other regulatory and complaint-handling organisations Contact LawAccess NSW for legal information " You and Your Lawyer", Hot ​​Topics 78 Legal Information Access Centre (LIAC), State Library of NSW​ , provides access to information about the law in NSW regarding your lawyer Privacy Copyright and Disclaimer Website accessibility View decision
  • Mubeen Kashmiri & Mahendra Chandmal Jain
    SDT solicitor 9657/2007 2007-01-01 found breached

    Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others

    Strike off, Suspend - Indefinite 1 PDF View decision
  • Sudesh Chamba
    SDT solicitor 9788/2007 2007-01-01 found breached

    Breaches, Client Money, Delays, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules

    Strike off 1 PDF View decision
  • Mark I Bronzite & Another
    SDT solicitor 9848/2007 2007-01-01 found breached

    Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others

    Strike off, Suspend - Fixed Period 1 PDF View decision
  • Christopher Elliot Cleaver Thomas
    SDT solicitor 9755/2007 2007-01-01 found breached

    Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others

    Suspend - Indefinite 1 PDF View decision
  • Douglas Laing MCCLELLAND
    LSC-QLD solicitor D L McClelland & Co 2006-11-24 found breached

    Guilty of professional misconduct on 1 charge Guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct on 1 charge - except in respect of particular 2.2(b) which was not established

    other 1 PDF View decision
  • Michael Lee PODMORE
    LSC-QLD solicitor Michael Podmore & Associates 2006-10-25 found breached

    Guilty of professional misconduct on 10 charges

    other 2 PDFs View decision
  • Nigel Barry Gladstein
    SDT solicitor 9550/2006 2006-01-01 found breached

    Failures, Others

    S.43 Order (clerks) 1 PDF View decision
  • Imran Karim, Saira Karim & Shamim Akktar Karim
    SDT solicitor 9450/2006 2006-01-01 found breached

    Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others

    Strike off 1 PDF View decision
  • Colin Cook
    SDT solicitor 9624/2006 2006-01-01 found breached

    Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others

    Strike off 1 PDF View decision
  • Rasool Khan
    SDT solicitor 9583/2006 2006-01-01 found breached

    Others

    S.43 Order (clerks) 1 PDF View decision
  • Wishwa Ellepola
    SDT solicitor 9505/2006 2006-01-01 found breached

    Breaches, Client Money, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others

    Strike off 1 PDF View decision
  • Ali Brian Ferguson
    SDT solicitor 9463/2006 2006-01-01 found breached text match

    Others

    S.43 Order (clerks) 1 PDF View decision
  • Barry Luke Damian Young
    SDT solicitor 9415/2006 2006-01-01 found breached

    Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others

    Strike off 1 PDF View decision
  • 9623-2006 - James Donald Rory Anderson
    SDT solicitor 9623/2006 2006-01-01 found breached

    Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others

    Strike off 1 PDF View decision
  • Jeremy Fieldhouse
    SDT solicitor 9555/2006 2006-01-01 text match

    Others

    Suspend - Indefinite 1 PDF View decision
  • Derrick French
    SDT solicitor 9613/2006 2006-01-01 found breached

    Breaches, Failures

    Suspend - Indefinite 1 PDF View decision
  • T J S Hardacre & Another
    SDT solicitor 9486/2006 2006-01-01 found breached

    Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others

    No Order, Suspend - Indefinite 1 PDF View decision
  • Annabella Sau Fung Lai-Burke
    SDT solicitor 9628/2006 2006-01-01 found breached

    Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others

    Strike off 1 PDF View decision
  • Adeoye Oriade Adejuwonlo Adebowale
    SDT solicitor 9422/2006 2006-01-01 found breached

    Breaches, Others

    Strike off 1 PDF View decision
  • Michael Charles Gray
    SSDT solicitor Michael Charles Gray, Solicitor, formerly of 115 Morrison Street, Edinburgh and now of 30A Windsor Street, Edinburgh 2005-06-28 found breached
    strike_off No Appeal 1 PDF View decision
  • Peter Madu Obidi
    SDT solicitor 9262/2005 2005-01-01 found breached

    Criminal Convictions, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others

    Strike off 1 PDF View decision
  • C B Izegbu, Samuel N Okoronkwo & Another
    SDT solicitor 9285/2005 2005-01-01 text match

    Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others

    Fine, S.43 Order (clerks), Strike off 1 PDF View decision
  • Derildene Erika Elizabeth Brown
    SDT solicitor 9178/2005 2005-01-01 found breached

    Breaches, Failures, Others

    Strike off 1 PDF View decision

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.