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 50 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 · current · archived copy · official source ↗
Cayman Islands Legal Services Code 2026 no clear equivalent
AU Solicitors Solicitors' Conduct Rules Rule 32.1 strong 196 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 41 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 11 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
522 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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Horace Algernon Gray
Fined | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered October 09, 2004. View PDF JUDGEMENT - Marianne Manuge against Horace Gray 91/2001 Mr. Patrick Bailey appeared for the Complainant Mr. Ravil Golding appeared for the res…
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John Norsworthy Cram
Admission Summary
Admission Summary View decision -
Winston L. Walters
Struck off | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered July 03, 2004. View PDF FORMAL ORDER of the DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL MADE ON COMPLAINT NO. 214/2002 IN THE MATTER OF BEVERLEY GRANT vs WI…
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Arlene Ann Gaynor
Suspended, Restitution Ordered | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered June 12, 2004. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OFTHE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT 203/2001 BETWEEN A. E. BRAGG COMPLAINANT AN…
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John Taylor Martin
Agreed Statement of Facts
Agreed Statement of Facts View decision -
R T Lloyd and P Wilson
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Richard Paul Burnett
Breaches, Others
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Derrick J. Darby
Repayment Ordered | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered May 03, 2003. View PDF FORMAL ORDER OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEEOF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL MADE ON COMPLAINTN0.62 2002 IN THE MATER OF JUSTIN HURLOCK VS D…
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Donald R. Bernard
Struck off | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered February 22, 2003. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL Complaint No. 45/2000 Hearing on the 9th day of February 2002 In the…
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Hugh F Harris-Evans and Jacqueline N Dell
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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B H Grunfeld and R G C Thornton
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Simon Patrick Cannon
Client Money, Failures, Others
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Robert Harvey Greenfield and James Smithson
Breaches, Failures, Others
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Adrian A.F. “Freddie” Brown
Struck off, Repayment Ordered | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered December 30, 2002. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO. 251 OF 95 GRETA & VALENTINE BLAKE C…
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Kenneth M. Mcleod
Struck off | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered November 16, 2002 | Disbarrement set aside at Court of Appeal View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL IN THE MATTER of Rudolph …
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Nancy Tulloch-Darby
Struck off, restitution ordered | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered June 15, 2002. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO: 135/2001 JUNETTE MORGAN COMPLAINANT A…
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Anita Jane Garside and Paul Verney Robertshaw
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Noel S. Williams
Restitution ordered, Fined | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered November 20, 2001. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO. 249/95 FESTUS AND ELITA HARRIS COMPLAI…
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Adrian A.F. “Freddie” Brown
Suspended | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered August 10, 2001. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCILCOMPLAINT No. 123/97 GUY AND LOIS HIBBERT COMPLAINANT AND FREDDIE BROWN …
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Leeland T. Playfair
Struck off, Repayment Ordered, Fined | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered June 23, 2001. View PDF FORMAL ORDER OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEEOF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL MADE ON COMPLAINTNO. 77 OF 99 IN THE MATTER…
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Shaun A. Reynolds
Suspended provisionally | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered May 12, 2001. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCILCOMPLAINT NO. 84/2000 GLADSTONE & ANN-MARIE WHITE COMPLAINANT…
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Philip A Hirst, Steven Murdoch, John Fitzpatrick
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Jonathan Anthony Levene
Client Money, Failures, Others
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Ramon G. K. Gordon
Struck off | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered July 28, 2000. View PDF FORMAL RULING OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL RE: COMPLAINT NO 194/98 GWENETH E CAMPBELL COMPLAINANT RAMON GODFRE…
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Franklyn S. Beckford
Struck Off, Restitution ordered | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered July 01, 2000. View PDF Ruling and Order Complaint No 1898 Before the Disciplinary Committee of the General Legal Council Between Doretha Jones…
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.