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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D Marjorie Rose
Struck off, Restitution ordered | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered March 14, 1992. View PDF DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL ORDER COMPLAINT NO. 27/91 In the matter of Elsa McGann and D. Marj…
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Probyn Aiken
Struck off | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered June 04, 1991. View PDF DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL ORDER COMPLAINT NO. 217/90 In the matter of Joswyn Leo-Rhynie, Q.C., Chairman, General L…
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Louis E.A. Forde
Struck off, Restitution ordered | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered February 16, 1985. View PDF DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL ORDER Complaint No. 31/1978 Kenman Davis - ComplainantL.E.A. Fo…
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Lesley Marianna Alberici
Breaches, Failures, Others, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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R G Simkin & Z M Sharif
Breaches, Others
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A E Ozuzu, E D Ogbuehi & Another
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Benjamin Joseph O'Brien
In respect to charges 1, 2, 3 and 4 in the discipline application is proved and is found to constitute professional misconduct
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Michael William Kemp
The Respondent engaged in professional misconduct in respect of the 2023 proceedings and charge 8 of the 2024 proceedings.
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Corey Cullen
In respect of each of Charge 1 and Charge 2, there is a finding of professional misconduct
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Mark Raymond Donnelly
The conduct the subject of charges 4, 5 and 6 of the discipline application filed 20 December 2024 constitutes professional misconduct
Reprimand; Pecuniary Penalty; Restriction on grant of practising cert.; Undertake Trust Accounting Course; Undertake Practice Management Course 1 PDF View decision -
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Peter Clark
Guilty of Professional Misconduct
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Seyed Jazayeri
Guilty of professional misconduct
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Bradley Munt
Guilty of professional misconduct with respect to charges 1, 6, 10, 12, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 and 28. Guilty of professional misconduct with respect to charges 2, 5, 9, 11, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27. Guilty of unsatis…
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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.