Admitted Discipline Violations

Discipline Digest Summary

2005: No. 03 September - October

Ian Armstrong Hobbs

Vancouver, BC
Called to the bar: September 11, 2001
Voluntarily ceased membership: January 1, 2005

Discipline hearing: July 14, 2005
Panel: Patricia L. Schmit, QC, as a one-Bencher panel
Report issued:July 18, 2005 (indexed as 2005 LSBC 30)
Counsel: Brian McKinley, for the Law Society, and Christopher Hinkson, QC, for Mr. Hobbs

Facts

Mr. Hobbs failed to respond to correspondence and telephone messages from the Law Society respecting two complaints and a Law Society audit report. In particular, Mr. Hobbs:

  • failed to respond to Law Society letters of August 20, September 13 and 28 and October 12, 2004 respecting the first complaint;
  • failed to respond to Law Society letters of August 30, September 13 and 21 and October 4, 2004 respecting the second complaint;
  • failed to respond to letters of September 22 and October 7, 19 and 27, 2004 respecting the audit report; and
  • failed to answer an urgent voicemail message left October 22 and a hand-delivered letter of October 28, respecting both the audit report and the complaints.

In December 2004 a citation was issued against Mr. Hobbs. A three- Bencher panel ordered that, pending his hearing, Mr. Hobbs be subject to several conditions of practice and provide a substantive response to the Law Society on outstanding matters by January 15, 2005. Mr. Hobbs did not respond until January 17.

Mr. Hobbs ceased as a member of the Society on January 1, 2005 for non- payment of fees.

Verdict

The hearing panel found, and Mr. Hobbs admitted, that his failure to respond to the Law Society constituted professional misconduct.

Penalty

The hearing panel ordered that Mr. Hobbs be reprimanded. The panel declined to impose costs on Mr. Hobbs, taking into account his financial circumstances and the fact that, should he return to practice, he would need to incur expenses to meet practice conditions.