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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Humphrey Lee Mcpherson
Fined | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered June 05, 2010. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL MADE ON COMPLAINT NO. 205/2007 GEORGE SOUTAR VS HUMPHREY MCPHERSON Panel: Mrs…
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David Santiago Morales
Restitution Ordered | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered May 15, 2010. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO. 34/2009 IN THE MATTER OF EDNA THORPE v DAVID MORAL…
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Trevor Ruddock
Struck off, Repayment & Restitution Ordered | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered February 13, 2010. View PDF JUDGEMENT OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE COMPLAINT NO. 74 OF 2003 BETWEEN JOAN BURKETT POWELL COMPLAINAN…
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Denise Elaine Gammack
Breaches, Failures
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Flora Muir
Breaches
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J W Smith, A A Voliere, F Dawodu
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Lennox Andrew Manifold
Breaches, Failures, Others
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Jeremy Stuart Dening & Others
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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M Rahman
Breaches, Others
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A Kyriacou - Y Mohammed
Breaches, Criminal Convictions, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Endy Okoye & David Laryea
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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G M Giambrone
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Suresh Ladwa
Others
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C T Weeden
Breaches, Failures, Others
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James Todd BRADSHAW
Guilty of unprofessional conduct on 1 charge. Guilty of professional misconduct on 2 charges.
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Doherty, Peter John
1. Breach Section 255 of the Legal Profession Act 2004 - holding, disbursing and accounting for trust money 2. Misappropriation of trust monies 3. Knowingly mislead the client 4. Unreasonable delay 5. Failure to account…
Additional Orders made by the Tribunal (see Tribunal decision) Conditions on Practising Certificate Costs Cancellation of practising certificate from 25 September 2009 to 25 September 2010 $0.00 Appeal Status: Dismissed Appeal Decision View decision -
Ian George Marsh RICHARDSON
Guilty of professional misconduct on 2 charges. Guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct on 1 charge.
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Colin CHADWICK
Guilty of professional misconduct on 2 charges.
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Patrick Brendan CAIN
Guilty of professional misconduct on 2 charges.
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Georgette May Scott
Appeal dismissed, Disciplinary Committee Decision affirmed | Court of Appeal decision delivered July 30, 2009. View PDF JAMAICA IN THE COURT OF APPEAL SUPREME COURT CIVIL APPEAL NO. 118/2008 BEFORE THE HON. MR. JUSTICE …
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MARTIN LEE SEGLER
Unsatisfactory Conduct by Unprofessional Conduct
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Robin Carl TAMPOE
Guilty of professional misconduct on 2 charges.
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Brynly Whyford THOMAS
Guilty of professional misconduct on 2 charges. Guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct on 4 charges.
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Jeffrey Leslie GARRETT
Guilty of professional misconduct on 1 charge.
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Ms Asha MCLAREN
Findings of professional misconduct Reasons for decision Reasons for penalty Appeal decision
Practitioner to complete courses Fine of 150 penalty units Practitioner to apologise 3 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.