Lawyer struck off for counselling unlawful arrangement

The New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal has struck off Auckland lawyer Vivian Wei Ma for assisting a client to subvert the Overseas Investment Act 2005 in relation to the purchase of property in New Zealand and for failing to establish a retainer and acting in circumstances of conflicting duties. The Tribunal…

Supreme Court grants interim stay of suspension

The New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal ordered that Gautam Jindal be suspended for six months. Mr Jindal unsuccessfully appealed that decision and then sought leave for a further appeal. He was declined leave by the High Court and Court of Appeal but has now sought leave from the…

Failing to address conflicts of interest leads to fines, censure and compensation

The New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal (the Tribunal) has made penalty orders in respect of former practitioner Richard Lyell Moore, who accepted a charge of negligence, and in respect of practitioner Robert Joseph Moore, who accepted a charge of misconduct, for failing to identify and appropriately manage conflicts…

Employee found to have engaged in misconduct for misappropriating client funds

The New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal (the Tribunal) made penalty orders prohibiting a former employee of a law firm (Ms Y) from being employed by a lawyer or firm without the Tribunal’s consent after she admitted misappropriating client funds. Ms Y admitted a charge of misconduct for misleading…

Failing to discharge professional duty to advance client interests is misconduct

The New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal (Tribunal) has made penalty orders in respect of Auckland practitioner Yong Keun (Ken) Oh. Mr Oh was found liable on a charge of misconduct for having clients sign documents that contained onerous terms that were irreconcilable with a lawyer’s duty to their…

Failure to comply with information requests from a Standards Committee is misconduct

The New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal (Tribunal) has suspended lawyer Georgina Ruth Grant for four months from 1 April 2026 after she failed to comply with information requests sent by a Standards Committee (Committee). Ms Grant accepted she failed to respond to the Committee which was misconduct. The…

Failure to treat client with courtesy and respect is misconduct

The New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal (the Tribunal) has censured Auckland lawyer Richard Keam and ordered him to pay compensation to a former client following a finding of misconduct arising from his treatment of the client. Mr Keam accepted that he was abusive to the client and this…

Paulette Main struck off

The Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal (the Tribunal) has struck off Paulette Elizabeth Main for defrauding the Ministry of Justice of $374,773.50 while practising as a Family Legal Aid Service provider. The Tribunal found the conduct sat “among the outer limits of grievous professional wrongs committed by a lawyer” and…

Quentin Haines struck off for high end misconduct

Quentin Stobart Haines was struck off the roll of barristers and solicitors by the Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal (the Tribunal) in March 2024 after being found to have engaged in eight disciplinary offences. The charges were varied in nature and included a criminal conviction, gross overcharging, misleading the Court,…

Lawyer censured and ordered to pay compensation for failing to uphold professional obligations

The New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal (the Tribunal) has censured a lawyer and ordered her to pay compensation and apologise to her former client for failing to uphold professional standards while acting in a litigation matter and failing to comply with a standards committee order. The Tribunal determined…