The duty in context
Report serious misconduct of others profession
The lawyer must report to the regulator serious or dishonest misconduct by another regulated person where they have reasonable grounds to believe it occurred, subject to confidentiality.
How the codes express this duty
E&W Solicitors SRA Principles & Code CCS 7.7; CCS 7.8 strong 128 cases
7.7 You report promptly to the SRA or another approved regulator, as appropriate, any facts or matters that you reasonably believe are capable of amounting to a serious breach of their regulatory arrangements by any person regulated by them (including you). 7.8 Notwithstanding paragraph 7.7, you inform the SRA promptly of any facts or matters that you reasonably believe should be brought to its attention ...
SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors, RELs and RFLs · 2019 · archived copy · official source ↗
E&W Barristers BSB Handbook rC66 strong 22 cases
rC66 Subject to your duty to keep the affairs of each client confidential and subject also to Rules rC67 and rC68, you must report to the Bar Standards Board if you have reasonable grounds to believe that there has been serious misconduct by a barrister or a registered European lawyer, a BSB entity, manager of a BSB entity or an authorised (non-BSB) individual ...
BSB Handbook · current · archived copy · official source ↗
Cayman Islands Legal Services Code 2026 R.13.1(g) partial
subject to the completion of any internal process or reporting, within a recognised law entity, in respect of such matters, may advise the Council where the attorney-at-law has good reason to doubt the professional integrity, or fitness to practise, of an attorney-at-law without prejudice to any restrictions on disclosure provided by statute
Cayman Islands Legal Services Code of Professional Conduct · 2026 · archived copy
AU Solicitors Solicitors' Conduct Rules no clear equivalent
AU Barristers Uniform Barristers Rules no clear equivalent
IE Solicitors Law Society Guide Ch7 — Serious misconduct by another solicitor strong 15 cases
If a solicitor is of the opinion that another solicitor is engaged in serious misconduct, this should be brought to the attention of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority. If this involves disclosure of a client's affairs, the client's consent should be obtained in advance.
Solicitor's Guide to Professional Conduct (Law Society of Ireland) · 4th ed. (2022) · archived copy · official source ↗
IE Barristers Bar Code of Conduct no clear equivalent
JM Attorneys Canons of Professional Ethics Canon I(d) strong 20 cases
An Attorney shall expose without fear or favour before the proper tribunals, unprofessional or dishonest conduct by any other Attorney and shall not lightly refuse a retainer against another Attorney who is alleged to have wronged his client.
Legal Profession (Canons of Professional Ethics) Rules · 1978 (principal) · archived copy · official source ↗
JE Lawyers Law Society of Jersey Code R.12.1 h) partial
All members must: ... h) subject to the completion of any internal process or reporting, within his/her firm... advise the Law Society where they have good reason to doubt the professional integrity, or fitness to practise, of a member or legally qualified employee of their firm, without prejudice to any restrictions on disclosure provided by statute.
Law Society of Jersey Code of Conduct · 1 January 2017 · archived copy · official source ↗
ON Lawyers LSO Rules of Prof. Conduct r 7.1-3 strong
Unless to do so would be unlawful or would involve a breach of solicitor-client privilege, a lawyer shall report to the Law Society, (a) the misappropriation or misapplication of trust monies; (b) the abandonment of a law or legal services practice; (c) participation in serious criminal activity related to a licensee's practice; (d) conduct that raises a substantial question as to another licensee's honesty, trustworthiness, or competency as a licensee; (e) conduct that raises a substantial question about the licensee's capacity to provide professional services; and (f) any situation where a licensee's clients are likely to be severely prejudiced.
Law Society of Ontario — Rules of Professional Conduct · current · archived copy · official source ↗
BC Lawyers BC Code r 7.1-3(e) strong 9 cases
Unless to do so would involve a breach of solicitor-client confidentiality or privilege, a lawyer must report to the Society: ... (e) conduct that raises a substantial question as to another lawyer's honesty, trustworthiness, or competency as a lawyer;
Code of Professional Conduct for British Columbia (BC Code) · 2017 · archived copy · official source ↗
NZ Lawyers Conduct & Client Care Rules r 2.8 strong
Subject to the obligation on a lawyer to protect privileged communications, a lawyer who has reasonable grounds to suspect that another lawyer may have engaged in misconduct must make a confidential report to the Law Society at the earliest opportunity.
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 no clear equivalent
HK Solicitors Solicitors' Guide Principle 11.03 strong
A solicitor is under a duty to report to the Council, where necessary after having obtained his client's consent, any professional misconduct or dishonesty on the part of another solicitor or a member of his staff, or of any other person purporting to represent or to be in the employment of another solicitor or firm.
Hong Kong Solicitors' Guide to Professional Conduct (Volume 1) · current · archived copy · official source ↗
HK Barristers Bar Code of Conduct no clear equivalent
Cases dealing with this duty
232 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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Pinacle Law Ltd
Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Prakash S Mehta
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Barrie Nigel Barker
Breaches, Client Money, Delays, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Peter James Scott
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Others, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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S Sockalingam & Others
Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Michael Gleasure
In the matter of Michael Gleasure, a solicitor formerly practising as Michael Gleasure & Co, Solicitors, 7 Maine Street, Tralee, Co Kerry, and in the matter of the Solicitors Acts 1954-2008 [6697/DT80/08 and High Court …
strike_off View decision -
Michael A. Williams
Struck off | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered December 12, 2009. View PDF JUDGMENT OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE COMPLAINT NO. 114/2005 DR. LLOYD BARNETT VS MICHAEL WILLIAMS PANEL:PAMELA BENKA-COKER Q.C.MERLIN …
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Holt, Michael Francis
1. Misled or attempted to mislead officer of State Revenue and Trust Account Inspectors 2. Failure to account 3. False stamping of documents in attempt to defraud the Office of State Revenue 4. Misappropriation 5. Negli…
Costs Removal of practitioner's name from the Roll of Local Lawyers $0.00 Proceedings Instituted 1 PDF View decision -
Sean Petrie Allen COUSINS
Guilty of professional misconduct on 1 charge.
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John Howard Caswall Fry & Another
Breaches, Client Money, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Alan Matthew Avetoom & Another
Breaches, Client Money, Delays, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Matthew Kenneth Sproston
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Mary Y P Fernando & Michael F Andrews
Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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A Fagbenle and E F Volney (pdf)
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Howard A. Lettman
Fined | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered December 13, 2008. View PDF DECISION of THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE of THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCILCOMPLAINT NO. 254/2005 In the Matter of FREDERICK CHAMBERS and HOWARD LETT…
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Thomas Byrne
In the matter of Thomas Byrne, a solicitor formerly practising under the style and title of Thomas Byrne & Co at 78 Walkinstown Road, Dublin 12, and in the matter of the Solicitors Acts 1954-2002 [6095/DT60/06, 6095/DT3…
strike_off View decision -
Pauline Lesley Butler
Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Vincent Okey Udah and Others
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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David Richard Roodyn
Breaches, Client Money, Criminal Convictions, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Anthony Scotland Grassick Walker
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Ralph E Pulman & Others
Breaches, Failures, Others
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Eric Ian Holland
Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Richard John Swinburn
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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B A Abiola and J U Odukwe
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Stephen Benedict John Barth & Others
Breaches, Client Money, Delays, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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.