Stephen Warne on professional negligence, regulation and discipline around the world

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Entries Tagged as '"question of law"'

Costs ordered against Law Institute in unsuccessful opposition to appeal against sentence of solicitor

June 29th, 2007 · No Comments

The last post referred to part 1 of the last chapter of an intriguing saga. The second and final part of that chapter is the decision on costs: PJQ v Law Institute of Victoria (No. 2) [2007] VSCA 132. The President of the Court of Appeal rejected the following submissions by the Institute:

that the Institute [...]

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Tags: "question of law" · Discipline · Legal Practice Act · Legal Profession Act · appeals · costs · procedure · prosecutorial failures · prosecutors' duties

Court of Appeal sets aside unduly harsh outcome in gross overcharging prosecution

June 28th, 2007 · No Comments

PJQ v Law Institute of Victoria[2007] VSCA 122 is the part 1 of the last chapter in a story of good tactical plays characteristic of professional discipline specialist Sam Tatarka in the representation of a solicitor charged with gross overcharging, and applying trust monies to pay his fees without the appropriate paperwork. It sounds like [...]

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Tags: "question of law" · Discipline · Legal Practice Act · Misconduct · Professional fees and disbursements · Striking off · appeals · gross overcharging · mental illness · prosecutorial failures · wilful disregard for rules

Procedural fairness: "Murray letters" considered by Victorian Court of Appeal

November 24th, 2006 · No Comments

B (A Solicitor) v Victorian Lawyers RPA Ltd (2002) 6 VR 642 (Ormiston, Charles and Batt JJA)
The Law Institute corresponded with the solicitors in this matter between 1998 and October 2000. The CEO Ian Dunn, wrote what is known in the game as "a Murray letter" on 16 October 2000. That is a letter summarising [...]

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Tags: "question of law" · Discipline · Legal Practice Act · Misconduct · appeals · natural justice · procedure · prosecutorial failures · prosecutors' duties · regulators' duties

3 years' holiday for not making ongoing discovery

April 28th, 2006 · No Comments

Guss v Law Institute of Victoria Ltd [2006] VSCA 88 (Maxwell P gave the lead judgment, Callaway and Chernov JJA agreeing)
A solicitor's right to practice was suspended for three years and he was ordered to pay costs of $31,500 for failing to comply with the obligation of ongoing discovery in relation to what was prima [...]

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Tags: "disgraceful and dishonourable" · "question of law" · Discipline · Misconduct · common law · costs · duty to court