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discipline 3 October 2026
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Decision record

Donald R. Bernard

JurisdictionJamaica
BodyGeneral Legal Council — Disciplinary Committee (GLC)
Professionattorney
Case number33 of 1999
DateJanuary 15, 2000
OutcomeStruck off

Allegation / charges

Struck off | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered January 15, 2000. View PDF RULING OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCILRE: COMPLAINT N0.33/99IVY WILLIAMS vs DONALD BERNARDHEARD IN THE NO.3 COURT ROOM, SATURDAY 15th JANUARY 2000 Before: …

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

SanctionStrike Off
CostsJMD 5,000
Dishonesty foundNo

Complainant Ivy Williams invested approximately $2.5 million with attorney Donald Bernard from 1987, including funds for relatives. When she requested $1 million to buy a house in 1997, he only paid $300,000 and failed to pay the remainder despite numerous requests. The Committee found him in breach of Canon VII(b)2 and Canon I(b) for failing to account for client monies and discrediting the profession. His name was struck off the roll and costs of $5,000 were awarded to the complainant. No express finding of dishonesty was made.

Duties found breached:

Aggravating factors:

  • Collected and retained client's money over a long period despite many requests to pay
  • Failed to attend hearings on multiple occasions
  • Disgraceful conduct

Duties engaged

Other decisions involving this respondent

  • 45 of 2000 2003-02-22 · GLC · Jamaica · Struck off
  • 210 of 1998 2001-07-19 · GLC · Jamaica · Restitution Ordered
  • 224 of 1997 2001-06-07 · GLC · Jamaica · Fined
  • 9 of 1999 2000-05-03 · GLC · Jamaica · Repayment Ordered

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

Documents

Source: https://www.generallegalcouncil.org/judgement/donald-r-bernard-complaint-no-33-of-1999/