Humphrey Lee Mcpherson

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

The complainant engaged the respondent attorney for a personal injury matter and several conveyancing/land transactions, paying J$230,000. The respondent abandoned the personal injury case, failed to provide a statement of account, refused to account unless the complaint was withdrawn, and failed to act with expedition. The respondent did not attend any hearing despite proper notice. The panel, applying the beyond reasonable doubt standard, found the unchallenged complainant to be a witness of truth and found the respondent acted in a manner unbecoming of the profession. No express finding of dishonesty was made. The respondent was ordered to make full restitution of J$230,000 with 6% interest, pay a fine of J$200,000, and pay costs of US$1,418.

Duties found breached:

• No improper communication with the court
• Uphold public trust in the profession
• Act in the client's best interests
• No improper use of client money
• Prompt accounting and return of money
• No improper solicitation or touting

Aggravating factors:

• Told complainant he would not provide a statement of account unless the complaint was withdrawn
• Consistently failed to attend hearings without excuse
• Prejudiced the complainant's personal injury case by not attending court