The duty in context
Honesty integrity
The lawyer must act with honesty at all times in professional and business dealings and must not engage in fraudulent or deceitful conduct.
How the codes express this duty
E&W Solicitors SRA Principles & Code Principle 4 strong 1,627 cases
You act: 1.4 with honesty.
SRA Principles · 2023 · archived copy · official source ↗
E&W Barristers BSB Handbook CD3; rC9.1; rC8 strong 109 cases
CD3 You must act with honesty, and with integrity. rC9 Your duty to act with honesty and with integrity under CD3 includes the following requirements: .1 you must not knowingly or recklessly mislead or attempt to mislead anyone;
BSB Handbook · current · archived copy · official source ↗
Cayman Islands Legal Services Code 2026 P.3; R.3.1; R.3.2 strong
Attorneys-at-law shall, at all times, act with honesty and integrity... An attorney-at-law's duty to act with honesty and integrity under P.3 includes the requirement that an attorney-at-law shall — (a) not knowingly or recklessly mislead or attempt to mislead anyone
Cayman Islands Legal Services Code of Professional Conduct · 2026 · archived copy
AU Solicitors Solicitors' Conduct Rules Rule 4.1.2 strong 215 cases
A solicitor must also:... 4.1.2 be honest and courteous in all dealings in the course of legal practice.
Australian Solicitors' Conduct Rules · 2015 (June 2026 compilation) · archived copy · official source ↗
AU Barristers Uniform Barristers Rules rr12(a),5(c) strong 72 cases
A barrister must not engage in conduct which is: (a) dishonest or otherwise discreditable to a barrister. ... barristers as specialist advocates in the administration of justice, must act honestly, fairly, skilfully and with competence and diligence.
Legal Profession Uniform Conduct (Barristers) Rules · 2015 (as amended 14 May 2025) · archived copy · official source ↗
IE Solicitors Law Society Guide Ch1 — Core values: Honesty; Ch6 — Professional standard of conduct strong 24 cases
This requires solicitors to be honest and forthright in all professional and business relationships... A solicitor, whether in their professional capacity or otherwise, must not engage in any conduct that is fraudulent, deceitful, or in any way contrary to their position as a solicitor and as an officer of the court.
Solicitor's Guide to Professional Conduct (Law Society of Ireland) · 4th ed. (2022) · archived copy · official source ↗
IE Barristers Bar Code of Conduct Rule 2.3(b) strong 24 cases
It is the duty of Barristers: ... (b) to act at all times with honesty and integrity;
Code of Conduct for the Bar of Ireland · 2024 · archived copy · official source ↗
JM Attorneys Canons of Professional Ethics Canon V(o); Canon I(b); Canon IV strong 157 cases
(o) An Attorney shall not knowingly make a false statement of law or fact. ... [I(b)] An Attorney shall at all times maintain the honour and dignity of the profession ... [IV] AN ATTORNEY SHALL ACT IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF HIS CLIENT AND REPRESENT HIM HONESTLY, COMPETENTLY AND ZEALOUSLY WITHIN THE BOUNDS OF THE LAW.
Legal Profession (Canons of Professional Ethics) Rules · 1978 (principal) · archived copy · official source ↗
JE Lawyers Law Society of Jersey Code P.3; R.4.2 a) strong
Members must, at all times, act with honesty and integrity... A member's duty to act with honesty and integrity under P.3 includes the following requirements: Members must: a) not knowingly or recklessly mislead or attempt to mislead anyone.
Law Society of Jersey Code of Conduct · 1 January 2017 · archived copy · official source ↗
ON Lawyers LSO Rules of Prof. Conduct r 2.1-1 strong
A lawyer has a duty to carry on the practice of law and discharge all responsibilities to clients, tribunals, the public and other members of the profession honourably and with integrity.
Law Society of Ontario — Rules of Professional Conduct · current · archived copy · official source ↗
BC Lawyers BC Code r 2.2-1 strong 31 cases
A lawyer has a duty to carry on the practice of law and discharge all responsibilities to clients, tribunals, the public and other members of the profession honourably and with integrity.
Code of Professional Conduct for British Columbia (BC Code) · 2017 · archived copy · official source ↗
NZ Lawyers Conduct & Client Care Rules r 10.9 / r 2.4 strong
A lawyer must not engage in conduct that is misleading or deceptive or likely to mislead or deceive anyone on any aspect of the lawyer's practice. ... A lawyer must not advise a client to engage in conduct that the lawyer knows to be fraudulent or criminal, nor assist any person in an activity that the lawyer knows is fraudulent or criminal.
Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2008 · SR 2008/214 · archived copy · official source ↗
SCO Solicitors LSS Standards of Conduct B1.2 strong 53 cases
You must be trustworthy and act honestly at all times so that your personal integrity is beyond question.
Law Society of Scotland — Practice Rules 2011, Rule B1 (Standards of Conduct) · 2011 · archived copy · official source ↗
SG Lawyers Professional Conduct Rules 2015 r 5 (Honesty, competence and diligence) strong 37 cases
5 Honesty, competence and diligence
Legal Profession (Professional Conduct) Rules 2015 · 2015 · archived copy · official source ↗
HK Solicitors Solicitors' Guide Principle 13.01 strong
A solicitor must not act, whether in his professional capacity or otherwise, towards anyone in a way which is fraudulent, deceitful or otherwise contrary to his position as a solicitor, nor must he use his position as a solicitor to take unfair advantage either for himself or another person.
Hong Kong Solicitors' Guide to Professional Conduct (Volume 1) · current · archived copy · official source ↗
HK Barristers Bar Code of Conduct para 4.1(b)(i) strong
not to engage in conduct (whether in pursuit of his profession or otherwise) which is:- (i) dishonest or otherwise discreditable to a barrister;
Code of Conduct of the Bar of the Hong Kong SAR · 2018 · archived copy · official source ↗
Cases dealing with this duty
2,273 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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JOSEPHINE PEPE
Unsatisfactory Conduct by reason of Illegal Conduct
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Mr Ian ROWBOTTOM
Findings of professional misconduct Reasons for decision Consequential orders on penalty for professional misconduct
Practising Certificate cancelled and practitioner not to be granted a Practising Certificate for 6 months Practitioner to complete and pass ethics course 2 PDFs View decision -
Madden, Philip Macdonald
1. Failure to account to client for money received by client 2. False statement in a cross claim (x2) 3. Commencing a cross claim whilst proving unable to establish that claim 4. False statement in correspondence with a…
Conditions on Practising Certificate Costs Fine Reprimand Suspension of Practising Certificate for a period of 12 months from 31 July 2008 $7,500.00 Proceedings Instituted 1 PDF View decision -
Anthony M. Gifford Q.C.
Fined | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered June 25, 2008. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCILCOMPLAINT No. 59/2005 BETWEEN JOHN GREWCOCK COMPLAINANT AND LORD ANTHONY GIFFO…
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Steven Olaf Youngman
Agreed Statement of Facts
Agreed Statement of Facts View decision -
Thomas Byrne
In the matter of Thomas Byrne, a solicitor formerly practising under the style and title of Thomas Byrne & Co at 78 Walkinstown Road, Dublin 12, and in the matter of the Solicitors Acts 1954-2002 [6095/DT60/06, 6095/DT3…
strike_off View decision -
Beriston Bryan
Restitution Ordered | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered March 08, 2008. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT No. 36/2004 IN THE MATTER of the complaint by ERROL …
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Cairns, Stephen William
In relation to matter 072025 - Breached Rule 37(a) and (b) of the NSW Barristers' Rules - he held an honest belief that he had reasonable grounds for alleging fraud in proceedings, he was in error in holding that belief…
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Ranjanadevi Uttamrao Nikam
Breaches, Others
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Derek Clyde Cornelius
Others
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J W Smith, M Rahman & Others
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Christopher Paul Harrison
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Derek John Leonard
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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A Afolabi, A Otah & O Ogunjebe
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Michael William Redmond
Others
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James Michael Hill
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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John Asher Lockwood
Breaches, Client Money, Delays, Others
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Richard Edward Buxton
Breaches, Client Money, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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John U Eni-Uwubame
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Others
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Colin D Poole
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Andrew John Tilsiter
Breaches, Client Money, Others
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Thomas Ofordire Egole
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Naveen Sagar
Criminal Convictions
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Sean Colin Garner
Breaches, Others
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.