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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Loukas, William (Bill) Vasilios
Ground 1: The respondent engaged in professional misconduct by acting unprofessionally, rudely and in an intimidating manner towards [Person A] and [Person B] in his written correspondence. Ground 2: The respondent enga…
The Tribunal orders, by consent, that the Respondent (1) be reprimanded (2) pay a fine to the applicant of $5,000 (3) undertake, complete and pass any reasonable educative course within 12 months from the date the orders are made (4) provide a statutory declaration to the applicant within 1 month of completing the educative courses (5) agrees to pay the applicant’s costs and disbursements incurred to date on the indemnity basis $5,000.00 Disciplinary Action 1 PDF View decision -
Raja Shazad Khan; Ishtiaq Ahmed
Breaches, Code of Conduct for Firms 2019, Dishonesty, Lack of Integrity, Solicitors Accounts Rules 2019, SRA Principles 2019
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Naeem-ul-Nushad Ahmed
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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Manjit Singh Walia
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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de Robillard, Christian Roger
Ground 1: Breaches of the Legal Profession Uniform Conduct (Barristers) Rules 2015 (NSW), rr 60(a), 61(a), 64(a), 65(a), and 8(c) relating to the making of allegations of fact in legal proceedings amounting to allegatio…
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Stuart Jay Zukerman
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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James Wayne Rowe
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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Maisha Shamilla Wilson-Campbell
Suspended | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered July 26, 2024. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO: 164/2023 IN THE MATTER OF ANNETTE STERLING and MAISHA WILSO…
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Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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Jasvinder Singh Gill
Breaches, Code of Conduct 2011, SRA Principles 2011
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Michael Shane Dugas
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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RICHARD JAMES LAWSON
Struck Off the Roll of Practitioners
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Henwood, Deborah Joy
Failure to furnish any submissions to the Law Society Council detailing why she is a fit and proper person to hold a practising certificate despite (1) the appointment of a Manager to her law practice, Henwood Lawyers, …
Refusal of grant of practising certificate $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 -
MARTIN LAWRENCE BENNETT
Professional Misconduct and Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct. Reprimand and Fine
Professional Misconduct and Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct. Reprimand and Fine 1 PDF View decision -
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Russell Sean McDonough
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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Paul Douglas Hills
Code of Conduct 2011, Dishonesty, Solicitors Accounts Rules 2011, SRA Principles 2011
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Joanna Mun-Ling Lee
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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Paul Christopher Doroshenko
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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JOHN ANDREW ROBERTSON
Professional Misconduct
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Andrew Paul Rose
Breaches, Code of Conduct 2011, Dishonesty, Lack of Integrity, SRA Principles 2011
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JOHN WESLEY BUTLER
Professional Misconduct. Suspension. Costs
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.