The duty in context
Disclose adverse law to the court court
The lawyer must draw the court's attention to all relevant binding or appellate authority, legislation and procedural matters, even where adverse to the client's case.
How the codes express this duty
E&W Solicitors SRA Principles & Code CCS 2.7 strong 38 cases
2.7 You draw the court's attention to relevant cases and statutory provisions, or procedural irregularities of which you are aware, and which are likely to have a material effect on the outcome of the proceedings.
SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors, RELs and RFLs · 2019 · archived copy · official source ↗
E&W Barristers BSB Handbook rC3.4; gC5 strong 16 cases
rC3.4 you must take reasonable steps to ensure that the court has before it all relevant decisions and legislative provisions. gC5 Your duty under Rule rC3.4 includes drawing to the attention of the court any decision or provision which may be adverse to the interests of your client. It is particularly important where you are appearing against a litigant who is not legally represented. In addition, you must ensure compliance with any disclosure requirements in proceedings before the court.
BSB Handbook Part 2: Code of Conduct · 5.0 · archived copy · official source ↗
Cayman Islands Legal Services Code 2026 R.2.1(d) strong
take reasonable steps to ensure that the Court has before it all relevant decisions and statutory provisions
Cayman Islands Legal Services Code of Professional Conduct · 2026 · archived copy
AU Solicitors Solicitors' Conduct Rules Rules 19.6; 19.8 strong 11 cases
19.6 A solicitor must, at the appropriate time in the hearing of the case if the court has not yet been informed of that matter, inform the court of: 19.6.1 any binding authority; 19.6.2 where there is no binding authority, any authority decided by an Australian appellate court; and 19.6.3 any applicable legislation, known to the solicitor and which the solicitor has reasonable grounds to believe to be directly in point, against the client's case.
Australian Solicitors' Conduct Rules · 2015 (June 2026 compilation) · archived copy · official source ↗
AU Barristers Uniform Barristers Rules r31 strong 5 cases
A barrister must, at the appropriate time in the hearing of the case if the court has not yet been informed of that matter, inform the court of: (a) any binding authority; (b) where there is no binding authority any authority decided by an Australian appellate court; and (c) any applicable legislation; known to the barrister and which the barrister has reasonable grounds to believe to be directly in point, against the client's case.
Legal Profession Uniform Conduct (Barristers) Rules · 2015 (as amended 14 May 2025) · archived copy · official source ↗
IE Solicitors Law Society Guide Ch5 — The solicitor advocate, para 1 strong 5 cases
The advocate has a duty to assist the court in reaching a just decision and, in furtherance of that aim, the solicitor must advise the court of relevant case law and statutory provisions.
Solicitor's Guide to Professional Conduct (Law Society of Ireland) · 4th ed. (2022) · archived copy · official source ↗
IE Barristers Bar Code of Conduct Rule 5.19 strong 5 cases
In a civil case Barristers must, at the appropriate time in the proceedings, inform the court of any relevant decision on a point of law and, in particular, of any binding authority or of any applicable legislation of which they are aware and which the Barrister believes to be in point whether it be for or against their contention.
Code of Conduct for the Bar of Ireland · 2024 · archived copy · official source ↗
JM Attorneys Canons of Professional Ethics no clear equivalent
JE Lawyers Law Society of Jersey Code R.3.1 d) strong
Members must... d) take reasonable steps to ensure that the court has before it all relevant decisions and statutory provisions.
Law Society of Jersey Code of Conduct · 1 January 2017 · archived copy · official source ↗
ON Lawyers LSO Rules of Prof. Conduct r 5.1-2(i) strong
When acting as an advocate, a lawyer shall not ... deliberately refrain from informing the tribunal of any binding authority that the lawyer considers to be directly on point and that has not been mentioned by an opponent
Law Society of Ontario — Rules of Professional Conduct · current · archived copy · official source ↗
BC Lawyers BC Code r 5.1-2(i) strong 5 cases
When acting as an advocate, a lawyer must not: ... (i) deliberately refrain from informing a tribunal of any binding authority that the lawyer considers to be directly on point and that has not been mentioned by another party;
Code of Professional Conduct for British Columbia (BC Code) · 2017 · archived copy · official source ↗
NZ Lawyers Conduct & Client Care Rules r 13.11 strong
The duty to the court includes a duty to put all relevant and significant law known to the lawyer before the court, whether this material supports the client's case or not. ... this duty continues until final judgment is given in the proceeding.
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 9 (Conduct of proceedings) partial 5 cases
9 Conduct of proceedings
Legal Profession (Professional Conduct) Rules 2015 · 2015 · archived copy · official source ↗
HK Solicitors Solicitors' Guide Principle 10.03 Commentary 7 strong
the court must be advised of relevant cases and statutory provisions by the advocates on both sides. If one of them omits a case or provision or makes an incorrect reference to a case or provision, it is the duty of the other to draw attention to it even if it assists his opponent's case.
Hong Kong Solicitors' Guide to Professional Conduct (Volume 1) · current · archived copy · official source ↗
HK Barristers Bar Code of Conduct para 10.38 strong
In civil and, subject to the provisions of paragraph 10.60, in criminal cases, a practising barrister must ensure that the Court is informed of any relevant decision or legislative provision, of which he is aware, whether it be for or against his contention.
Code of Conduct of the Bar of the Hong Kong SAR · 2018 · archived copy · official source ↗
Cases dealing with this duty
96 decisions · link basis: found breached = a tribunal finding; rule cited = the mapped provision is cited in the decision; text match = high-precision text pattern
-
Antoinette Olivia Taylor
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Others, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
-
-
Richard Paul Roberts
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
-
MARTIN LEE SEGLER
Professional Misconduct and Suspended
-
MARTIN LEE SEGLER
Unsatisfactory Conduct by Unprofessional Conduct
-
-
Paul Michael Hewitt & Another
Breaches, Client Money, Delays, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
-
S Mireskandari & C S Turbin
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
-
J. Vernon (Jonathan) Ricketts
Struck off again, Already Struck off, Restitution Ordered, Fined | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered November 08, 2008. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT No. …
-
Richard John Swinburn
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
-
Naveen Sagar
Criminal Convictions
-
John Robert Peter Middleton
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
-
Millard Decal Spence
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
-
C F Farrell
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
-
Audrey Heslop-Mendez
Restitution Ordered, Already Struck off | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered September 07, 2007. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO. 14/2001 In the Matter of…
-
Paul Nicholas Smith
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
-
Ellen Violet Huggins
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
-
Malcolm Reginald Brown
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Others
-
JANET WALTON
Struck Off the Roll of Practitioners
-
Edward William Ellis
Failures, Others
-
Nigel Barry Gladstein
Failures, Others
-
Shahan Shah Sarmad Khan
Client Money, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
-
Milton Firman
Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules, Others
-
Matthew Jones
Others
-
N P Adams and M J Scrace
Breaches, Failures, 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.