Manjit Singh Walia

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

Manjit Singh Walia, a BC immigration lawyer, admitted professional misconduct after coaching his client during a virtual Refugee Protection Division hearing on September 8, 2023 by writing a response to the tribunal member's question on a Post-it note and displaying it to the client, contrary to rule 2.2-1. He entered a Rule 3-7.1 consent agreement, approved December 19, 2024, agreeing to pay a $7,500 fine. No express finding of dishonesty was made (the finding was failure to act honourably and with integrity).

Duties found breached:

• No improper communication with the court
• No baseless or threatened misconduct report

Aggravating factors:

• Prior Professional Conduct Record: reprimand in Alberta for incompetent representation and a 2017 Conduct Review in BC for breaching an undertaking
• Conduct affected the client's credibility before the tribunal

Mitigating factors:

• Admission of misconduct and entry into consent agreement
• Significant life stressors and lack of sleep
• Lawyer felt pressured to obtain a positive outcome for clients
• Outcome consistent with prior similar matters