A hearing panel of the Law Society of British Columbia has ordered that Victoria lawyer Rosario Cateno Di Bella be suspended for professional misconduct. The panel ordered that the two-month suspension commence October 1.
The hearing panel found that Di Bella committed professional misconduct by breaching an undertaking not to take on new matters, and by misleading the Law Society with regard to that breach of undertaking. It also found that Di Bella failed to provide the quality of service expected of a lawyer by failing to take appropriate steps to pursue the tasks a client retained him to perform, and failing to respond to the client’s requests for information.
In determining the appropriate disciplinary action, the hearing panel considered the two practice reviews that had previously resulted in limitations on Di Bella’s practice. It also considered the impact of Di Bella’s conduct on his client.
Written reasons for the hearing panel’s decision are available on the Law Society website.
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For further information contact:
David Jordan
Communications Officer
604.443.5708
djordan@lsbc.org