Council of the Law Society of New South Wales v Sideris (No 2) [2024] NSWCATOD 121

Civil and Administrative Tribunal New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Council of the Law Society of New South Wales v Sideris (No 2) [2024] NSWCATOD 121 Hearing dates: 12 June 2024 Date of orders: 09 August 2024 Decision date: 09 August 2024 Jurisdiction: Occupational Division Before: Armstrong J, President A Suthers, Principal Member B Thomson, General Member Decision: (1) Recommend that the name of the respondent, George Sideris, be removed from the local roll of lawyers maintained by the Supreme Court of New South Wales. (2) The respondent is to pay the applicant's costs of the proceedings. Catchwords: OCCUPATIONS – legal practitioners – solicitors – disciplinary proceedings – where respondent lawyer found guilty of professional misconduct for consistent and repeated breaches of rr 33.1 and 4.1.2 of Legal Profession Uniform Law Australian Solicitors' Conduct Rules 2015 (NSW) – appropriate protective orders – continued pattern of behaviour in sending of discourteous or otherwise inappropriate correspondence in the course of disciplinary proceedings before Tribunal – finding that lawyer currently unfit to practise – finding that lawyer likely indefinitely unfit to practise – roll removal recommended – costs order made Legislation Cited: Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2013 (NSW) Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW) Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Act 2014 (NSW) Legal Profession Uniform Law Australian Solicitors' Conduct Rules 2015 (NSW) Cases Cited: A Solicitor v Council of the Law Society of New South Wales (2004) 216 CLR 253; [2004] HCA 1 APLA Ltd v Legal Services Commissioner (NSW) (2005) 224 CLR 322; [2005] HCA 44 Council of Law Society of ACT v Bandarage [2019] ACTSCFC 1 Council of the Law Society of NSW v Clarke [2022] NSWCA 57 Council of the Law Society of NSW v Gallego (No 2) [2017] NSWCATOD 61 Council of the Law Society of New South Wales v Green [2022] NSWCA 257 Council of the Law Society of New South Wales v Jafari [2020] NSWCA 53 Council of the Law Society of New South Wales v King [2018] NSWCATOD 157 Council of the Law Society of New South Wales v Parente [2019] NSWCA 33 Council of the Law Society of New South Wales v Sideris [2024] NSWCATOD 3 Council of the Law Society of New South Wales v Zhukovska (2020) 102 NSWLR 655; [2020] NSWCA 163 Council of the New South Wales Bar Association v BRJ (No 2) [2015] NSWCATOD 140 Council of the New South Wales Bar Association v de Robillard [2023] NSWCATOD 75 Council of the New South Wales Bar Association v EFA (a pseudonym) (2021) 106 NSWLR 383; [2021] NSWCA 339 Council of the NSW Bar Association v Rollinson [2024] NSWCA 84 Council of the Law Society of NSW v Yoon [2019] NSWCATOD 28 Council of the Law Society of New South Wales v Yoon [2020] NSWCA 141 Ex parte Macaulay (1930) 30 SR (NSW) 193 Gautam v Health Care Complaints Commission [2021] NSWCA 85 Khosa v Legal Profession Complaints Committee [2017] WASCA 192 Law Society of New South Wales v Bannister (1993) 4 LPDR 24 Law Society of New South Wales v Foreman (1994) 34 NSWLR 408 Law Society of New South Wales v Walsh [1997] NSWCA 185 Potkonyak v Legal Services Commissioner (No 2) [2018] NSWCA 173 New South Wales Bar Association v Cummins (2001) 52 NSWLR 279; [2001] NSWCA 284 New South Wales Bar Association v Evatt (1968) 117 CLR 177; [1968] HCA 20 Stanoevski v Council of the Law Society of New South Wales [2008] NSWCA 93 Youssef v NSW Legal Services Commissioner [2020] NSWCATOD 85 Ziems v The Prothonotary of the Supreme Court of NSW (1957) 97 CLR 279; [1957] HCA 46 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Council of the Law Society of New South Wales (Applicant) George Sideris (Respondent) Representation: Counsel: M Nesbeth (Applicant)