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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Sean Garvin Moses Osbourne
Guilty of Professional Misconduct | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered November 03, 2023. | Struck off, Restitution ordered | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered January 26, 2024. | Formal Order View PDF AM…
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Karen Nicholson
Breaches, Code of Conduct 2011, Dishonesty, Lack of Integrity, SRA Principles 2011
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Michail, Nancy
1. Making inappropriate oral submissions in the NSW Supreme Court, asserting that the Law Society “weren’t honest”, the NSW District Court “manipulate[d] recordings” and suggesting a District Court Judge’s orders were n…
Reprimand Order Requiring Apology • Reprimand for the inappropriate oral submissions and the recklessly made false and misleading written submission to the NSW Supreme Court. • Order requiring apologies to the Director, Legal Regulation of the Law Society of NSW, a NSW District Court Judge, the Registrar of the NSW District Court and the (Acting) NSW Legal Services Commissioner. $0.00 Disciplinary Action View decision -
MANRAJ SINGH KHOSA
Professional Misconduct. Costs. Referral to Supreme Court recommending name be removed from the roll of practitioners
Professional Misconduct. Costs. Referral to Supreme Court recommending name be removed from the roll of practitioners 2 PDFs View decision -
Thompson, Melissa Jane
Failure by the Solicitor to provide the Law Practice Confirmation and Statement of Trust Money submission for the period 01 April 2019 to 31 March 2020 and due on 30 April 2020. Failure by the Solicitor to provide the L…
Refusal of grant of practising certificate for the practice year ending 30 June 2024 $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 -
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Bing Han
Guilty of professional misconduct on 1 charge
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Matthew Goldborough
Breaches, Failures
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Carlito Jose Desacola
In respect of charge 1, the respondent engaged in professional misconduct
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Glenn Charles Hurstfield
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Liam Prakash Kearns
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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Ashish Bhatia
Breaches, Code of Conduct 2011, SRA Principles 2011
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Andrew Mark Brett
Breaches, Failures
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Adam Raydon Magill
In respect of Charge 1 there is a finding that the Respondent engaged in professional misconduct.
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JOHN ABOU HAIDAR
Professional Misconduct. Reprimand. Exclusion period from applying for a practising certificate
Professional Misconduct. Reprimand. Exclusion period from applying for a practising certificate 1 PDF View decision -
Kashif Aleemuddin Ahmed
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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Chilwin Chienhan Cheng
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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Simon Pak Hei Lin
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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GRAEME JOHN BOSTOCK
Professional Misconduct and Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct. Reprimand and Fine
Professional Misconduct and Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct. Reprimand and Fine 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.