Decision record
Steven George Powell
Appeals and appellate references
- Appellate document — relationship to this matter unverified: Minett Lawrence v GLC (Exp Kaon Northover (20221 JMCA Mi c 1)
“Unverified” means the upstream page linked an appellate judgment but did not preserve enough context to prove that it was an appeal in this matter.
Allegation / charges
Reprimanded | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered May 13, 2025.|| Guilty of Professional Misconduct | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered November 28, 2024. View PDF SANCTION DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO: 176/2022 IN THE …
Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision
The Attorney was retained in 2016/2017 to defend the Complainant in a suit but failed to file a counterclaim to recover money owed to her for renovation work, which became statute barred in 2020. He was found guilty of professional misconduct under Canons IV(s), IV(r) and I(b). The Committee found no dishonesty, so suspension or striking off was not warranted. Applying the Fuglers/Minett Lawrence framework, the Committee reprimanded him and imposed a fine of JMD 350,000, calculated by discounting the disputed amounts owed, payable directly to the Complainant in partial satisfaction of her loss.
Duties found breached:
- Uphold public trust in the profession
- Act only on proper, lawful instructions
- No conflict between current clients
Aggravating factors:
- No remorse expressed and no apology to the Complainant
- Appeared resentful of the Complainant and of appearing before the Committee
- Took no steps to make good the Complainant's loss even after being found guilty
- Serious consequences: Complainant lost her right to recover fees for renovation work as counterclaim became statute barred
Mitigating factors:
- Misconduct did not involve dishonesty or moral turpitude
- No previous disciplinary findings
- Positive character evidence from four witnesses about his good work and responsiveness
Duties engaged
Other decisions involving this respondent
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