2011 LSBC 18
Report issued: July 18, 2011
Citation issued: September 23, 2010
The Law Society of British Columbia
In the matter of the Legal Profession Act, SBC 1998, c.9
and a hearing concerning
Respondent
Panel: Bruce LeRose, QC, Chair, Leon Getz, QC, Benjamin Meisner
Counsel for the Law Society: Maureen Boyd
Appearing on his own behalf: Leonard Thomas Denovan Hill
The Panel makes the following correction to the report as to disciplinary action issued June 29, 2011.
1. Paragraph [2](a) should read:
The Respondent must be suspended from the practice of law for one month.
2. Paragraph [11] should read:
In reaching our conclusion that a one month suspension should be imposed on the Respondent, we have not been indifferent to the likelihood that, as a sole practitioner, the consequences to him are virtually certain to be more serious than the alternative of a fine.
3. Paragraph [16] should read:
It is for these reasons that we concluded that the appropriate disciplinary action is a one month suspension. It is for much the same reasons that we rejected what we understood to be the Respondent’s contention that his suspension should commence at a date that caused the least disruption to his practice and his employees, rather than the normal rule that the commencement date should be the beginning of the month following that in which these reasons are delivered. In the ordinary course of events that would be July 1. We do not think these are proper considerations. Any other view would effectively deprive the suspension of its intended effect. We were advised, however, that the Respondent has trial commitments early in July and that it would be prejudicial to the clients to whom he is committed if they were forced at such short notice to find replacement counsel. This is clearly a proper consideration.