A hearing panel of the Law Society Tribunal has ordered that Vancouver lawyer Desmond Greg Friedland be suspended for two months, starting February 22, 2022. In addition to the suspension, Friedland was ordered to cease operating his trust account or handling trust funds until he completes Law Society trust accounting courses, and to retain a Chartered Professional Accountant to assist in the filing of his annual trust reports for a period of three years and then thereafter until relieved by the Trust Regulation department.
The hearing panel found that Friedland committed professional misconduct by failing to comply with requirements of the trust accounting rules on numerous occasions, including by withdrawing client trust funds when he was not entitled to them and by maintaining his own funds in a pooled trust account. The panel also found that Friedland failed in 13 instances to identify and record the client on whose behalf trust funds were received, and the source of funds received into trust. He also failed to maintain a trust ledger for each client showing separately the trust funds received and disbursed on their behalf and the unexpended balance, and he did not maintain a detailed monthly listing to support his trust reconciliations.
In imposing the two-month suspension, the panel considered that Friedland’s failure to comply with trust accounting obligations occurred over the course of nine years and that his professional conduct record included a conduct review regarding similar accounting issues. The panel acknowledged mitigating factors, including his pro bono work, contributions to the community and his cooperation with the discipline process.
The panel’s decision on facts and determination is available here and the panel’s decision on disciplinary action is available here.
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For media inquiries, contact:
Vinnie Yuen
Communications Officer
604.697.5836
vyuen@lsbc.org