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 28 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 Part 2: Code of Conduct · 5.0 · archived copy · official source ↗
Cayman Islands Legal Services Code 2026 no clear equivalent
AU Solicitors Solicitors' Conduct Rules Rule 32.1 strong 198 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 37 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 6 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
505 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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Robert Kenneth COCHRANE
Guilty of professional misconduct on 11 charges. Guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct on 2 charges.
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Catherine KINCAID
Guilty of professional misconduct on 1 charge.
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Georgette May Scott
Struck off, Restitution Ordered | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered October 14, 2008. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT No. 181/2006 ERROL CUNNINGHAM V GEORGE…
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Douglas John WINNING
Guilty of professional misconduct on 1 charge.
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Mr Ian John ROWBOTTAM
Findings of professional misconduct Reasons for decision Consequential orders on penalty for professional misconduct
Practising Certificate cancelled and practitioner not to be granted a Practising Certificate for 6 months Practitioner to complete and pass ethics course 2 PDFs View decision -
Mr Ian ROWBOTTOM
Findings of professional misconduct Reasons for decision Consequential orders on penalty for professional misconduct
Practising Certificate cancelled and practitioner not to be granted a Practising Certificate for 6 months Practitioner to complete and pass ethics course 2 PDFs View decision -
Richard Francis QUINN
Guilty of professional misconduct on 1 charge.
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Robin John SLIPPER
Guilty of professional misconduct on 1 charge. Guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct on 1 charge.
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Steven Olaf Youngman
Agreed Statement of Facts
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SUKHWANT SINGH
Unprofessional Conduct
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Andrew Oliver HEWLETT
Guilty of professional misconduct on 1 charge
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R B Southcombe & H Shah
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Olasumkanmi M Bolaji & Sokunle O Sonuga
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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David Coleman and 22 Others
Breaches, Client Money, Delays, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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J C Barber & G H Cartain
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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Mojisola Adetokunbo Adesola Kareem
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Sean Colin Garner
Breaches, Others
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Robert Anthony Parry
Breaches, Failures, Others
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Robert Napier Stober
Criminal Convictions
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Mohammed Riaz
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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James Michael Hill
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
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TOMAS MIJATOVIC
Unprofessional Conduct and Suspended
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Russell Galt WALTERS
Guilty of professional misconduct on 7 charges.
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Horace Okeroghene Onobrakpeya
Breaches, Client Money, 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.