The duty in context
No unlawful discrimination or harassment integrity
The lawyer must not unlawfully discriminate, victimise, bully or harass any person on protected grounds, in service delivery or professional relationships.
How the codes express this duty
E&W Solicitors SRA Principles & Code Principle 6; CCS 1.1; CCS 1.5 strong 740 cases
1.6 in a way that encourages equality, diversity and inclusion. 1.1 You do not unfairly discriminate by allowing your personal views to affect your professional relationships and the way in which you provide your services. 1.5 You treat colleagues fairly and with respect. You do not bully or harass them or discriminate unfairly against them.
SRA Principles · 2023 · archived copy · official source ↗
E&W Barristers BSB Handbook CD8; rC12 strong 14 cases
CD8 You must not discriminate unlawfully against any person. rC12 You must not discriminate unlawfully against, victimise or harass any other person on the grounds of race, colour, ethnic or national origin, nationality, citizenship, sex, gender re-assignment, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status, disability, age, religion or belief, or pregnancy and maternity.
BSB Handbook · current · archived copy · official source ↗
Cayman Islands Legal Services Code 2026 no clear equivalent
AU Solicitors Solicitors' Conduct Rules Rule 42.1 strong 16 cases
A solicitor must not in the course of, or in connection with, legal practice or their profession, engage in conduct which constitutes: 42.1.1 discrimination, 42.1.2 sexual harassment, or 42.1.3 any other form of harassment, or 42.1.4 workplace bullying.
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 Ch6 — Discrimination strong
A solicitor should not discriminate against any person, whether clients, counsel, professional or other witnesses, or opposing parties because of their gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, or membership of the Traveller community.
Solicitor's Guide to Professional Conduct (Law Society of Ireland) · 4th ed. (2022) · archived copy · official source ↗
IE Barristers Bar Code of Conduct Rule 3.3; Rule 7.2; Rule 7.4 strong
Barristers shall not discriminate in favour of or against any person availing, or seeking to avail, of the services of the Barrister on the grounds of race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, language, politics, religion, nationality, national or social origin, national minority, birth or other status and it shall be the professional duty of Barristers to comply with all laws intended to prevent any discrimination on any grounds.
Code of Conduct for the Bar of Ireland · 2024 · archived copy · official source ↗
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 6.3.1-1; r 6.3-3 strong
6.3.1-1 A lawyer has a special responsibility to respect the requirements of human rights laws in force in Ontario and, specifically, to honour the obligation not to discriminate on the grounds of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, record of offences ... [6.3-3 A lawyer shall not sexually harass a colleague, a staff member, a client, or any other person.]
Law Society of Ontario — Rules of Professional Conduct · current · archived copy · official source ↗
BC Lawyers BC Code r 6.3-3 to 6.3-5 strong 4 cases
6.3-3 A lawyer must not sexually harass any person. 6.3-4 A lawyer must not engage in any other form of harassment of any person. 6.3-5 A lawyer must not discriminate against any person.
Code of Professional Conduct for British Columbia (BC Code) · 2017 · archived copy · official source ↗
NZ Lawyers Conduct & Client Care Rules r 10.3 strong
A lawyer must not engage in conduct that amounts to 1 or more of the following: (a) bullying: (b) discrimination: (c) harassment: (d) racial harassment: (e) sexual harassment: (f) violence.
Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2008 · SR 2008/214 · archived copy · official source ↗
SCO Solicitors LSS Standards of Conduct B1.15 strong 3 cases
You must not discriminate on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation in your professional dealings with other lawyers, clients, employees or others
Law Society of Scotland — Practice Rules 2011, Rule B1 (Standards of Conduct) · 2011 · archived copy · official source ↗
SG Lawyers Professional Conduct Rules 2015 no clear equivalent
HK Solicitors Solicitors' Guide Principle 5.01 Commentary 1 partial
A solicitor should not refuse to accept instructions based upon the race, colour, ethnic or national origins, sex or religious or political beliefs of a prospective client.
Hong Kong Solicitors' Guide to Professional Conduct (Volume 1) · current · archived copy · official source ↗
HK Barristers Bar Code of Conduct para 10.1 strong
A practising barrister must not, in the course of practice, engage in conduct which constitutes unlawful discrimination or harassment.
Code of Conduct of the Bar of the Hong Kong SAR · 2018 · archived copy · official source ↗
Cases dealing with this duty
788 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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Alejandro Emilio Verdu Haro
Breaches, Code of Conduct 2011, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, SRA Principles 2011, SRA Principles 2019
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Rory Peter Heddle Fordyce
Breaches, Client Money, Code of Conduct 2011, Money Laundering Regulations, Solicitors Accounts Rules 2011, Solicitors Accounts Rules 2019, SRA Principles 2011, SRA Principles 2019
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Scott Halborg
Breaches, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, Lack of Integrity, SRA Principles 2019
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Huggins Lewis Foskett
Breaches, Code of Conduct 2011, Code of Conduct for Firms 2019, Money Laundering Regulations, SRA Principles 2011, SRA Principles 2019
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Neil Robert Lawler
OCR198-23 Charges 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 - professional misconduct. OCR050-25 Charges 1 to 4 - professional misconduct
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Lewis Brady
Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, SRA Principles 2019
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Fasar Mahmood
Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, Dishonesty, Lack of Integrity, Misappropriation of Client Account, Solicitors Accounts Rules 2019, SRA Principles 2011
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(unnamed)
Appeals
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Feisal Mohammed Raza Sheikh; Maxim Solicitors Limited
Breaches, Code of Conduct 2011, Code of Conduct for Firms 2019, Failures, Money Laundering Regulations, SRA Principles 2011, SRA Principles 2019
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Respondent AR
Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, Solicitors Accounts Rules 2019
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Darams SC, Jamie Shannon
On 7 December 2023, during a work Christmas function at a hotel in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, Mr Darams SC engaged in unsatisfactory professional conduct in that he engaged in the unwanted touching of a female solic…
Fine Reprimand Order requiring practitioner issue a written apology to KE and her employer Order to undertake a minimum of ten hours of one-to-one counselling at practitioner’s own expense, with a focus on sexual harassment, respect for women and the excessive consumption of alcohol $10,000.00 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 -
Darams SC, Jamie Shannon
On 7 December 2023, during a Christmas function hosted by a Law Firm at a Hotel in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, Mr Darams SC engaged in unsatisfactory professional conduct when he: Ground 3: Engaged in unwanted sexual…
Fine Reprimand Order requiring practitioner issue a written apology to the female solicitor and her employer Order to undertake a minimum of ten hours of one-to-one counselling at practitioner’s own expense, with a focus on sexual harassment, respect for women and the excessive consumption of alcohol $10,000.00 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 -
Mark Andrew Shepherd
Breaches, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, Solicitors Accounts Rules 2019, SRA Principles 2011, SRA Principles 2019
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Heather Roberts
Breaches, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, Dishonesty, Lack of Integrity, SRA Principles 2019
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Tolhurst Fisher LLP
Breaches, Code of Conduct 2007, Code of Conduct 2011, Money Laundering Regulations, SRA Principles 2011
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Stephen Brian Simmons
Breaches, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, Dishonesty, Lack of Integrity, SRA Principles 2011, SRA Principles 2019
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David William McDermott
Breaches, Code of Conduct 2011, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, Dishonesty, Lack of Integrity, SRA Principles 2011, SRA Principles 2019
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Waheed Ur Rehman Mian
Breaches, Code of Conduct 2011, Failures, SRA Principles 2011
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Claire Letitia Parry
Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, SRA Principles 2019
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Paul Christopher Flaherty; William John Gregory Osmond
Breaches, Failures, Misappropriation of Client Account, Money Laundering Regulations, Solicitors Accounts Rules 2011, SRA Principles 2011
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Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Breaches, Code of Conduct 2011, Code of Conduct for Firms 2019, Money Laundering Regulations, SRA Principles 2011, SRA Principles 2019
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Leo Benedict Michael Foster
Breaches, Lack of Integrity, SRA Principles 2019
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Robin Edward Stubbings
Breaches, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, SRA Principles 2019
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Craig Cooper; Erich Kurtz
Code of Conduct 2011, SRA Principles 2011
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.