The duty in context
Uphold public trust in the profession integrity
The lawyer must not behave in any way, professionally or personally, that diminishes public trust and confidence in them or the profession or brings it into disrepute.
How the codes express this duty
E&W Solicitors SRA Principles & Code Principle 2 strong 1,030 cases
You act: 1.2 in a way that upholds public trust and confidence in the solicitors' profession and in legal services provided by authorised persons.
SRA Principles · 2023 · archived copy · official source ↗
E&W Barristers BSB Handbook CD5; rC8; gC16 strong 113 cases
CD5 You must not behave in a way which is likely to diminish the trust and confidence which the public places in you or in the profession.
BSB Handbook · current · archived copy · official source ↗
Cayman Islands Legal Services Code 2026 P.2 strong
Attorneys-at-law shall not, in their professional and personal lives, act in any way which brings or which may reasonably bring the legal profession or the provision of legal services in the Cayman Islands into disrepute.
Cayman Islands Legal Services Code of Professional Conduct · 2026 · archived copy
AU Solicitors Solicitors' Conduct Rules Rule 5.1.2 strong 151 cases
A solicitor must not engage in conduct... which:... 5.1.2 is likely, to a material degree to: (i) be prejudicial to, or diminish the public confidence in, the administration of justice; or (ii) bring the profession into disrepute.
Australian Solicitors' Conduct Rules · 2015 (June 2026 compilation) · archived copy · official source ↗
AU Barristers Uniform Barristers Rules r12(c) strong 59 cases
A barrister must not engage in conduct which is: ... (c) likely to diminish public confidence in the legal profession or the administration of justice or otherwise bring the legal profession into disrepute.
Legal Profession Uniform Conduct (Barristers) Rules · 2015 (as amended 14 May 2025) · archived copy · official source ↗
IE Solicitors Law Society Guide Ch1 — Core values: General; Ch9 — Accounts regulations: General strong 7 cases
Solicitors should always observe and promote the core values of the profession and avoid any conduct or activities inconsistent with those values... solicitors handling clients' monies must act with integrity, in the client's best interests, and in the interests of the good reputation of solicitors and the solicitors' profession.
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(c); Rule 2.2 strong 7 cases
not to engage in conduct (whether in pursuit of their profession or otherwise) which may bring the Barristers' profession into disrepute, which may injure the dignity and high standing of the profession, or which is likely to diminish the trust and confidence placed in them or in the profession;
Code of Conduct for the Bar of Ireland · 2024 · archived copy · official source ↗
JM Attorneys Canons of Professional Ethics Canon I(b); Canon VIII(b) strong 206 cases
An Attorney shall at all times maintain the honour and dignity of the profession and shall abstain from behaviour which may tend to discredit the profession ... [VIII(b)] an Attorney shall determine his conduct by acting in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and efficiency of the legal system and the legal profession.
Legal Profession (Canons of Professional Ethics) Rules · 1978 (principal) · archived copy · official source ↗
JE Lawyers Law Society of Jersey Code P.2 strong
Members must not, in their professional and personal lives, act in any way which brings or which may fairly bring the legal profession or the provision of legal services in Jersey into disrepute.
Law Society of Jersey Code of Conduct · 1 January 2017 · archived copy · official source ↗
ON Lawyers LSO Rules of Prof. Conduct r 2.1-2; r 2.1-1 commentary [2] strong
2.1-2 A lawyer has a duty to uphold the standards and reputation of the legal profession and to assist in the advancement of its goals, organizations and institutions. [Commentary 2.1-1[2]: a lawyer's conduct should reflect favourably on the legal profession, inspire the confidence, respect and trust of clients and of the community, and avoid even the appearance of impropriety.]
Law Society of Ontario — Rules of Professional Conduct · current · archived copy · official source ↗
BC Lawyers BC Code r 2.2-2 strong 10 cases
A lawyer has a duty to uphold the standards and reputation of the legal profession and to assist in the advancement of its goals, organizations and institutions.
Code of Professional Conduct for British Columbia (BC Code) · 2017 · archived copy · official source ↗
NZ Lawyers Conduct & Client Care Rules r 10.2 strong
A lawyer must not engage in conduct that tends to bring the profession into disrepute.
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 partial 21 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 4(b) partial 8 cases
A legal practitioner’s duty to the legal practitioner’s client is subject only to the legal practitioner’s duty to the court, and must at all times be fulfilled in a manner that upholds the standing and integrity of the Singapore legal system and the legal profession in Singapore.
Legal Profession (Professional Conduct) Rules 2015 · 2015 · archived copy · official source ↗
HK Solicitors Solicitors' Guide Principle 1.01 / r 2(d) Solicitors' Practice Rules strong
A solicitor shall not ... do or permit to be done on his behalf anything which compromises or impairs or is likely to compromise or impair— ... (d) his own reputation or the reputation of the profession;
Hong Kong Solicitors' Guide to Professional Conduct (Volume 1) · current · archived copy · official source ↗
HK Barristers Bar Code of Conduct para 4.1(b)(ii) strong
not to engage in conduct (whether in pursuit of his profession or otherwise) which is:- ... (ii) likely to bring the profession of barrister into disrepute or otherwise diminish public confidence in the profession of barrister;
Code of Conduct of the Bar of the Hong Kong SAR · 2018 · archived copy · official source ↗
Cases dealing with this duty
1,561 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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Abraham Verghese
Breaches, Others
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Aygun Sahin
Breaches, Client Money
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Angela Ruth Brookwell
Criminal Convictions
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Pratik Rambhai Patel
Breaches, Failures, Others
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Mohammed Jahangir Farid
Others
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Asabe Georgina Adeyemo
Failures
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Angela Jane Butler
Breaches, Criminal Convictions
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John David Cort
Breaches, Criminal Convictions
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Kenneth Hunt & Barbara Gayton
Breaches, Client Money, Criminal Convictions, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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David Shorrocks
Breaches, Failures
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Martyn Wright
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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J W Smith, A A Voliere, F Dawodu
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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S Sockalingam & Others
Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Ailish Aimee Amatari Abrahams
Breaches, Criminal Convictions
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Nathaniel Bertrand Felton (J)
Breaches, Failures
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Bryan H S Slater & Another
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Peter James Scott
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Others, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Georgette May Scott
Leave to Appeal to Privy Council Denied, Court of Appeal & Disciplinary Committee Decisions upheld | Court of Appeal decision delivered December 18, 2009. View PDF JAMAICA SUPREME COURT CIVIL APPEAL NO. 118/2008 MOTION …
Leave to Appeal to Privy Council Denied, Court of Appeal & Disciplinary Committee Decisions upheld 1 PDF View decision -
James Todd BRADSHAW
Guilty of unprofessional conduct on 1 charge. Guilty of professional misconduct on 2 charges.
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Michael A. Williams
Struck off | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered December 12, 2009. View PDF JUDGMENT OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE COMPLAINT NO. 114/2005 DR. LLOYD BARNETT VS MICHAEL WILLIAMS PANEL:PAMELA BENKA-COKER Q.C.MERLIN …
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Doherty, Peter John
1. Breach Section 255 of the Legal Profession Act 2004 - holding, disbursing and accounting for trust money 2. Misappropriation of trust monies 3. Knowingly mislead the client 4. Unreasonable delay 5. Failure to account…
Additional Orders made by the Tribunal (see Tribunal decision) Conditions on Practising Certificate Costs Cancellation of practising certificate from 25 September 2009 to 25 September 2010 $0.00 Appeal Status: Dismissed Appeal Decision View decision -
Shawn Dickson Swail
Agreed Statement of Facts
Agreed Statement of Facts View decision -
Barrett Anthony WHERRY
Guilty of professional misconduct on 1 charge.
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Antonnette Haughton Cardenas
Struck off, Repayment Ordered | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered July 31, 2009. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT 41/2007 BETWEEN AVIS SMITH COMPLAINANT AND …
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Georgette May Scott
Appeal dismissed, Disciplinary Committee Decision affirmed | Court of Appeal decision delivered July 30, 2009. View PDF JAMAICA IN THE COURT OF APPEAL SUPREME COURT CIVIL APPEAL NO. 118/2008 BEFORE THE HON. MR. JUSTICE …
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.