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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HELEN MARIE TOLSON
Referral to Supreme Court (full bench) recommending name be removed from the roll of practitioners
Referral to Supreme Court (full bench) recommending name be removed from the roll of practitioners 1 PDF View decision -
James Edward Turner
Rule 4-29 Admission of Misconduct and Undertaking | Summary
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Travis Keith Sturgeon
Guilty of professional misconduct
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CHRISTINA MARIE CHANG
Professional Misconduct
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Ms Vanessa Marie FARMER
Findings of professional misconduct Reasons for decision Reasons for penalty
Public reprimand in respect of each charge Fine of $15,000 Complete further legal education in the areas of Ethics and Professional Responsibility and Practice Management, course not exceeding one day or equivalent online program Transfer trust money to the complainant within 7 days 2 PDFs View decision -
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NICHOLAS NEIL PETER OUD
Struck Off the Roll of Practitioners
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RONALD WILLIAM BOWER
Struck Off the Roll of Practitioners
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Howard A. Lettman
Guilty of Professional Misconduct | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered July 20, 2019. || Struck off, Restitution Ordered | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered November 13, 2019 View PDF DECISION OF THE DISC…
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Robin John Slipper
Guilty of professional misconduct
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Thadsanamorthy, Viji
Professional Misconduct 1. Breach of section 137 LPUL - Certain trust money to be deposited in general trust account 2. Breach of section 146 LPUL - Intermixing money 3. Misappropriation Unsatisfactory Professional Cond…
Costs Fine Practitioner to undertake and complete further legal education Reprimand $5,000.00 Proceedings Instituted 1 PDF View decision -
Matthew Kenneth Manz
The respondents conduct is charaterised as professional misconduct.
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Roy Swartzberg
Rule 4-29 Admission of Misconduct and Undertaking | Summary
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Leroy Kajo Equiano
Fined | Guilty | Disciplinary Committee decisions delivered May 16, 2019. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO: 28/2016 IN THE MATTER OF BERCHELL MELBOURNE and LEROY …
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Margaret Faith Rimmer
Guilty of professional misconduct
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Mark Joseph O'Reilly
Guilty of professional misconduct.
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Melvi Poh Onn Tay
Guilty of professional misconduct
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Michelle Rosena Beatty
The respondents conduct constitutes professional misconduct
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Yoon, Seog Won
1. Breached section 254 LPA 2004 - Certain trust money to be deposited in a general trust account 2. Breached section 255 LPA 2004 - Holding, disbursing and accounting for trust money 3. Breached section 260 LPA 2004 - …
Costs Order recommending removal of lawyer's name from the Roll of Australian Lawyers $0.00 Proceedings Instituted 1 PDF View decision -
Timothy Vincent Charles Meehan
Guilty of professional misconduct with respect to Charges 1 and 2
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Farid El Diwany
Breaches, Criminal Convictions
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Colin Kenneth Grooms
Breaches, Delays, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Catherine Ann Sandbach
Breaches
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.