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Craig Leonard Stevenson

JurisdictionAustralia — Queensland
BodyLegal Services Commission (Queensland) (LSC-QLD)
Professionsolicitor — A Ace Solicitors
Date12/08/2021
HearingQueensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal
OutcomeOther

Allegation / charges

In respect of each of Charges 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, there is a finding that the Respondent engaged in professional misconduct

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

SanctionReprimand
FineAUD 5,000
Dishonesty foundNo

Sole practitioner Craig Stevenson was found to have engaged in professional misconduct on five charges for repeatedly failing to comply with s 443(3) notices from the Legal Services Commissioner between June 2018 and May 2019. The failures were explained (though not excused) by significant personal, professional and mental health stressors. The Tribunal noted no dishonesty and no lack of fitness. He was publicly reprimanded, fined $5,000, ordered to pay standard costs, and required to include mentoring and treatment evidence in his 2022 and 2023 practising certificate renewals.

Duties found breached:

Aggravating factors:

  • Repeated nature of the failures (five instances)
  • Failure to cooperate with regulatory authority is a serious matter
  • General deterrence to the profession

Mitigating factors:

  • No disciplinary history
  • No suggestion of lack of fitness, impropriety or dishonesty
  • Significant personal and professional stressors including health issues at the time
  • Mental health issues (adjustment disorder, major depression) explaining conduct
  • Engaged fully in psychiatric/psychological treatment and rehabilitation
  • Undertook mentoring through Queensland Law Society with significant improvements
  • Admitted the facts
  • Well-intentioned and caring of clients

Duties engaged

Other decisions involving this respondent

  • Decision 2002-12-09 · LSC-QLD · Australia — Queensland

Matched by respondent name — may include a different person with the same name.

Documents

Source: https://www.lsc.qld.gov.au/queensland-discipline-register