The Member was retained by a lawyer to perform specified audit procedures and complete Law Society Reporting Form Trust Reports for the lawyer. The Member completed the Reports which were then submitted to the Law Society of British Columbia. The Law Society subsequently conducted a review of the lawyer’s trust account, and noted numerous breaches of trust accounting rules by the lawyer. The Member failed to report to the Law Society the non-compliance and exceptions to those rules.
The Investigation Committee determined that the Member contravened the CPABC Code of Professional Conduct as follows:
201.1- Maintenance of the good reputation of the profession
202.1 - Integrity and due care
202.2 - Objectivity
203 - Professional competence
204 - Independence
205 - False or misleading documents or oral representations
206 - Compliance with professional standards
The Committee recommended that the Member:
- accept a reprimand;
- pay expenses of $2,950 plus GST of $147.50; and
- attend and successfully complete by the next available date the course Law Society, Real Estate Council and Other Specified Procedures Reports.