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 28 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 Part 2: Code of Conduct · 5.0 · archived copy · official source ↗
Cayman Islands Legal Services Code 2026 no clear equivalent
AU Solicitors Solicitors' Conduct Rules Rule 32.1 strong 198 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 37 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 6 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
505 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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Judith Anne Sheehan
The Respondent's conduct with respect to Charges 1,3,4 and 5 constitutes professional misconduct
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Amir Nazir Butt
Breaches, Client Money, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, Lack of Integrity, Misappropriation of Client Account, Solicitors Accounts Rules 2011, SRA Principles 2011, SRA Principles 2019
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Naeem-ul-Nushad Ahmed
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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Manjit Singh Walia
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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de Robillard, Christian Roger
Ground 1: Breaches of the Legal Profession Uniform Conduct (Barristers) Rules 2015 (NSW), rr 60(a), 61(a), 64(a), 65(a), and 8(c) relating to the making of allegations of fact in legal proceedings amounting to allegatio…
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Darryl Richards
Guilty of professional misconduct
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Stuart Jay Zukerman
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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Maisha Shamilla Wilson-Campbell
Suspended | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered July 26, 2024. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO: 164/2023 IN THE MATTER OF ANNETTE STERLING and MAISHA WILSO…
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Guy Andrew Adams
Code of Conduct 2011, Dishonesty, Lack of Integrity, Solicitors Accounts Rules 2011, SRA Principles 2011
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Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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Jasvinder Singh Gill
Breaches, Code of Conduct 2011, SRA Principles 2011
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Michael Shane Dugas
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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Lee Scott Tupper
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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RICHARD JAMES LAWSON
Struck Off the Roll of Practitioners
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MARTIN LAWRENCE BENNETT
Professional Misconduct and Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct. Reprimand and Fine
Professional Misconduct and Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct. Reprimand and Fine 1 PDF View decision -
Anthony David GRAY
In respect of each of Charges 1 and Charge 2 there is a finding of professional misconduct.
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Russell Sean McDonough
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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Paul Douglas Hills
Code of Conduct 2011, Dishonesty, Solicitors Accounts Rules 2011, SRA Principles 2011
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JOHN ANDREW ROBERTSON
Professional Misconduct
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JOHN WESLEY BUTLER
Professional Misconduct. Suspension. Costs
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HOWARD JOHN GINBEY
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
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.