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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Sonia Sukhdeesh Hayer
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement | Summary
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Femida Jamali
Breaches, Failures
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David Ellis
Breaches, Failures
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Briana Christine Ioannides
Guilty of professional misconduct
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David Wayne Hadley
In respect of charges 1, 2 and 4, the respondent engaged in professional misconduct. In respect of charge 3, the respondent engaged in unsatisfactory professional conduct.
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Christopher James Rosser
On each of Charges 1, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10 and 11 the respondent engaged in professional misconduct
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Rudolph Emanuel Alphonso Muir
Suspended, Fined | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered September 30, 2020. View Formal Order Below View PDF of Decision View PDF of Formal Order DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL …
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Maurice Frankson
Suspended, Fined | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered August 13, 2020. || Guilty of Professional Misconduct | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered July 04, 2020. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITT…
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John Anthony Greenhalgh
In respect of Charge 1, there is a finding that the respondent engaged in unsatisfactory professional conduct. In respect of Charge 2, there is a finding that the respondent engaged in professional misconduct.
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KEVIN COLIN BENEDICT STAFFA
Professional Misconduct and Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct
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David Allen Kidd
Rule 4-29 Admission of Misconduct and Undertaking to Discipline Committee | Summary
Rule 4-29 Admission of Misconduct and Undertaking to Discipline Committee | Summary 1 PDF View decision -
CHRISTINA MARIE CHANG
Professional Misconduct. Referral to Supreme Court (full bench) recommending name be removed from the roll of practitioners
Professional Misconduct. Referral to Supreme Court (full bench) recommending name be removed from the roll of practitioners 2 PDFs View decision -
HELEN MARIE TOLSON
Struck Off the Roll of Practitioners
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Ek, Sawathey
1. Made unfounded allegations against the complainant 2. Continued to make allegations of misleading conduct against the complainant without any proper basis to do so — Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct
Practitioner to undertake and complete further legal education Reprimand $0.00 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 -
Konrad Malik
Rule 4-29 Admission of Conduct and Undertaking to Discipline Committee | Summary
Rule 4-29 Admission of Conduct and Undertaking to Discipline Committee | Summary 1 PDF View decision -
Jasmine Dominic
The respondents conduct constitutes professional misconduct.
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Nicholas Peter Whiffen
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Sarah Lesley Watson
Breaches, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Edward Anthony Bromet
Breaches
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Ivan John Poole
Charges 1 and 4 the respondent's conduct amounts to professional misconduct. Charges 2 and 3 the respondent's conduct amounts to unsatisfactory professional conduct.
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Howard A. Lettman
Struck off, Restitution Ordered | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered November 13, 2019. || Guilty of Professional Misconduct | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered July 20, 2019. View PDF View Formal Order D…
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Baldev Singh Ghag
Rule 4-29 Admission of Misconduct and Undertaking | Summary
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.