News Release
August 15, 2022

A hearing panel of the LSBC Tribunal has ordered Victoria lawyer Donald Roy McLeod be suspended for six weeks for professional misconduct.

The panel found that McLeod committed professional misconduct in his dealings with opposing counsel over a dispute over adult guardianship, also known as a committeeship. McLeod, acting for the children of an elderly parent, repeatedly refused to accept that the parent was represented by opposing counsel, and he refused to provide the hearing date and application materials for his clients' application for committeeship. McLeod obtained a committeeship order for his clients in a hearing where neither their parent nor opposing counsel were in attendance, when he knew or ought to have known they intended to oppose the application. The hearing panel found that all of the actions and expense opposing counsel and her client took to set aside the court order could have been avoided had McLeod acted in accordance with his professional obligations.

In imposing the six-week suspension, the panel emphasized the seriousness of the misconduct, McLeod’s many years of experience as a lawyer, as well as his professional conduct record which includes three conduct reviews and disciplinary action for similar misconduct. The panel found his past professional conduct issues are highly aggravating factors in determining the appropriate sanction, requiring an increase in the sanction beyond the range imposed for similar misconduct by a lawyer without a disciplinary history.

In addition to the suspension, which takes effect on August 15, 2022, McLeod has been ordered to pay costs of $16,503.41.

The decision on disciplinary action is available here, and the decision on facts and determination are available here.

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