Rohan Slater

Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision

Rohan Slater, an in-house solicitor of 20+ years, swore a false statutory declaration claiming he was the responsible person in charge of a vehicle to have a mobile phone infringement notice reissued from his stepson to himself, to protect his stepson's prospects of joining the Queensland Police Service. He was convicted after trial of making a false declaration (s 194 Criminal Code) and fraud (s 408C), sentenced to 150 hours community service with no conviction recorded. QCAT found the charge proved and professional misconduct established, expressly finding blatant dishonesty. Despite the seriousness, the tribunal found Slater presently fit to practise given his unblemished record, altruistic motivation, remorse and insight. He was publicly reprimanded, his practising certificate suspended from 1 February to 31 December 2026, and ordered to pay the Commissioner's costs on the standard basis. A fine (sought by the respondent) was rejected as inadequate.

Duties found breached:

• Proper basis for allegations
• Uphold public trust in the profession
• No baseless or threatened misconduct report

Aggravating factors:

• Blatant dishonesty; false statutory declaration carefully drafted to deceive
• Conduct not momentary or fleeting
• Swearing a false declaration is fundamentally contrary to what is expected of a legal practitioner
• Strong need for general deterrence and protection of the standing of the profession

Mitigating factors:

• Over 20 years of practice without prior breach or disciplinary finding
• Motivation was not personal gain but to protect stepson's prospects of entry to the Queensland Police Service
• Conduct occurred in personal life, not in professional practice
• Under significant workplace pressure at the time
• Full insight and remorse; sought psychiatric help and counselling
• Completed 150 hours of community service
• Found highly unlikely to engage in dishonest conduct in future; presently fit to practise
• No conviction recorded in criminal proceedings

⚠ figures not found verbatim in the source were dropped: ["unverified_suspension_months=11"]