UPDATED MARCH 28, 2018: Original release said suspension will commence "on a date to be determined"
Vancouver, March 28, 2018 – A hearing panel of the Law Society of British Columbia has ordered that Surrey lawyer Thomas Paul Harding be suspended for professional misconduct. His three-week suspension will commence on July 2, 2018.
Harding committed professional misconduct in June 2012 for uncivil behaviour during a dispute with an employee at an automobile towing facility. The hearing panel dismissed the citation, but a Law Society Review Board reversed that decision and found that Harding had committed professional misconduct. Harding appealed that decision to the BC Court of Appeal, which dismissed Harding’s appeal.
A factor in determining the appropriate disciplinary action was Harding’s prior discipline history. Written reasons for the hearing panel’s decision are available on the Law Society website.
The Law Society of British Columbia upholds and protects the public interest in the administration of justice by ensuring the independence, integrity and competence of lawyers, establishing education and professional development standards for lawyers, regulating the practice of law and preserving and protecting the rights and freedoms of all persons.
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