Lance Rigley

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

Lance Geoffrey Rigley, a sole practitioner, faced 12 charges arising from conduct between 2010 and 2018. He was convicted of fraud for misappropriating $80,683.51 in trust money and sentenced to three years' imprisonment (suspended after six months). Further charges concerned unlawful withdrawal of trust money and repeated failures to comply with s 443 investigative notices. The Tribunal found professional misconduct on each charge, made express findings of dishonesty, and recommended removal of his name from the local roll. Despite being an undischarged bankrupt, he was ordered to pay the applicant's costs on the standard basis, as no exceptional circumstances existed and the liability was not a provable debt in bankruptcy.

Duties found breached:

• No improper communication with the court
• No improper use of client money

Aggravating factors:

• Persistent and protracted dishonest conduct involving numerous fraudulent transactions
• Repeated refusal to comply with statutory investigative notices
• Conduct struck at the heart of trustworthiness required of a practitioner
• No evidence of remediation or likelihood of future fitness to practise

Mitigating factors:

• Did not contest any of the charges
• Pleaded guilty to the criminal fraud charge
• Accepted that his conduct warranted removal from the local roll
• Proceeded on agreed statement of facts