Robin John Slipper

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

In Legal Services Commissioner v Slipper the QCAT found the respondent solicitor guilty of professional misconduct in five matters where, acting as executor/administrator/attorney and as sole director of his incorporated legal practice, he placed himself in a position of conflict and engaged in rapacious gross overcharging (unauthorised uplift fees, fixed probate fees and excessive time charges). In the Saunderson matter he took $1,040,000 of estate money to which he was not entitled and drafted/witnessed a will incompetently (void dispositive clause, interested witness). Some lesser matters (Trill, Tonge, Heginbotham) were unsatisfactory professional conduct. Although the Tribunal used the term 'rapacious', it expressly found the evidence insufficient to establish that he actually knew he was not entitled to the Saunderson money, so no express finding of dishonesty was made. The Tribunal recommended removal of his name from the local roll and ordered him to pay the applicant's costs on the standard basis.

Duties found breached:

• Costs and fee transparency to client
• Fair, reasonable and lawful fees
• No own-interest conflict
• No conflict between current clients
• No improper benefit, loan or bequest
• No baseless or threatened misconduct report

Aggravating factors:

• Sole beneficiaries of two estates were infants
• A rapacious course of conduct repeated across multiple client files
• No demonstrated remorse for or insight into the conduct
• Contesting many allegations unsuccessfully and at times without any real basis
• Large sum involved in the Saunderson matter (over $1 million) and false assertion that it had been repaid

Mitigating factors:

• Respondent had made repayments to several estates/clients (though the Tribunal found these were made under the shadow of investigation and provided no basis for a more favourable view)
• Respondent no longer held a practising certificate