News Release
October 07, 2015

Vancouver, October 7, 2015 –The Law Society sets standards of professional responsibility for BC lawyers and articled students, and upholds those standards through a complaints and discipline process. These standards and processes are important to maintain public confidence and trust in lawyers. Accordingly, the Law Society has accepted an admission of professional misconduct from former lawyer David Saito of North Vancouver, who has agreed not to reapply for reinstatement to the Law Society of British Columbia for five years.

Saito was an employee of Wilcox and Company Law Corporation in March 2013, when his employer discovered that Saito had submitted expense claims that were improper and terminated his employment.

In an agreed statement of facts, Saito admitted to seven allegations of professional misconduct relating not only to submitting improper expense claims, but also to having his employer pay disbursements related to the estates of Saito’s family members, and to co-mingling his personal funds with the firm’s trust account, contrary to Law Society Rules.

Saito has not been practicing law since August 2013, and ceased to be a member of the Law Society as of January 1, 2015. The Law Society’s discipline committee has accepted Saito’s admission, and his undertaking not to apply for reinstatement before September 2020.

The Law Society of British Columbia regulates the more than 11,000 practising lawyers in the province.

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For further information or to arrange an interview contact:

David Jordan
Communications Officer
604.443.5708
djordan@lsbc.org

Tim Travis
Communications Officer
604.604.697.5836
ttravis@lsbc.org