Vancouver – Vancouver lawyer Paris Simons has been suspended for one month for failing to provide a reasonable quality of service on a client’s case and for lying to the client. Specifically, Simons did not keep his client informed about the status and progress of her case, failed to take action as he had described to his client, did not do work promptly or at all and did not disclose all relevant information to his client and thus misled her.
According to the hearing panel, Simons’ misconduct is a serious departure from the standard of conduct expected of a lawyer and serves to erode the public’s confidence in the integrity of the legal profession. The hearing panel further concluded that this suspension is intended to send a clear and unequivocal message to the profession about the importance of communicating with clients in a timely and honest way.
The suspension will be effective beginning July 15, 2012. More information is contained in the hearing report.
The Law Society of British Columbia regulates the more than 10,000 lawyers in the province, setting and enforcing standards of professional conduct that ensure the public is well-served by a competent, honourable legal profession.
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For further information or to arrange an interview contact:
Robyn Crisanti
Manager, Communications and Public Affairs
604.697.5845
rcrisanti@lsbc.org