A hearing panel of the Law Society has ordered that Douglas Joseph William Hammond be suspended for professional misconduct. The two week suspension will commence on July 2, 2020.
Hammond admitted to committing professional misconduct by using his trust account to receive and disburse funds without providing any related legal services and in failing to make and record inquiries about the circumstances of the matter.
The panel accepted his admission. In ordering the two week suspension, the panel considered the serious nature of the conduct, as well as Hammond’s lack of prior discipline history, his acknowledgement of the misconduct and cooperation with the investigation, the range of penalties imposed in similar cases, and the absence of evidence of loss or fraud.
Written reasons for the decision are available here.
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For further information contact:
Vinnie Yuen
Communications Officer
604.697.5836
vyuen@lsbc.org