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 28 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 Part 2: Code of Conduct · 5.0 · archived copy · official source ↗
Cayman Islands Legal Services Code 2026 no clear equivalent
AU Solicitors Solicitors' Conduct Rules Rule 32.1 strong 198 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 37 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 6 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
505 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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JOHN HENRY REYBURN
Professional Misconduct and Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct
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Qing-nan Meng
Agreed Statement of Facts
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Francis Ynong Toh CHAI
Guilty of professional misconduct on 5 charges.
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Tsalidis, Charles Kiriakos
Professional Misconduct 1. Failure to comply with Section 660 Notice of the Legal Profession Act 2004 (x4) 2. Breach of ADT Orders Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct 1. Failure to respond to correspondence from Counsel…
Conditions on Practising Certificate Costs Fine Reprimand $12,000.00 View decision -
William Ralph Southward
Agreed Statement of Facts
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Denise RIDER-BELL
Guilty of professional misconduct on 5 charges.
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MEGAN MARIE IN DE BRAEKT
Struck Off the Roll of Practitioners
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Alexander John BAXTER
Guilty of professional misconduct on 1 charge.
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James Hu
Agreed Statement of Facts
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Alexander John Markham-Zantvoort
Agreed Statement of Facts
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Margaret Casey
In the matter of Margaret AM Casey and Greg (otherwise John G) Casey, solicitors, formerly practising as Casey & Co, Solicitors, at North Main Street, Bandon, Co Cork, and in the matter of the Solicitors Acts 1954-2002 …
strike_off View decision -
Steven Ronald Shepherd
Breaches, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Kimberley Bridge & John Charles McNabb & Tracy Stansfield & Nicola Roach
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Michael Morrison QUINN
Guilty of professional misconduct on 1 charge.
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ANDREW PAUL SKERRITT
Professional Misconduct and suspended to 31 May 2013
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Terence Robert PURYER
Guilty of professional misconduct on 2 charges.
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Galloway, Brett William
1. Breaches of Section 262 of the Legal Profession Act 2004 - deficiency in trust account 2. Failure to report Trust irregularities to the Society contrary to Section 263(i) of the Legal Profession Act 2004 3. Causing u…
Additional Orders made by the Tribunal (see Tribunal decision) Costs Fine Reprimand $8,000.00 View decision -
Drew Adrian KELLAHAN
Guilty of professional misconduct on 3 charges.
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SIMON ALEXANDER HOLME
Professional Misconduct and Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct
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Anthony Scott WOOD
Guilty of professional misconduct on 1 charge.
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NICHOLAS (NI KOK) CHIN
Professional Misconduct and Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct
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.