New South Wales Bar Association v Amor-Smith [2003] NSWADT 239

CITATION: New South Wales Bar Association v Amor-Smith [2003] NSWADT 239 DIVISION: Legal Services Division APPLICANT PARTIES: Council of the New South Wales Bar Association RESPONDENT John Amor-Smith FILE NUMBER: 022016, 022017 HEARING DATES: 12/05/03-16/05/03, 18/08/03-19/08/03 SUBMISSIONS CLOSED: 08/19/2003 DATE OF DECISION: 11/05/2003

BEFORE: Chesterman M - ADCJ (Deputy President); Norton S SC - Judicial Member; Kirkby E - Member APPLICATION: Professional Misconduct - fail to disclose billing arrangements - Professional Misconduct - fail to disclose costs - Professional Misconduct - overservice and overcharge MATTER FOR DECISION: Principal matter Administrative Decisions Tribunal Act 1997 District Court Rules LEGISLATION CITED : Legal Profession Act 1987 Legal Profession Reform Act 1993 Legal Profession Regulation 1994 Supreme Court Rules Allinson v General Council of Medical Education and Registration [1894] 1 QB 750 D'Alessandro v Legal Practitioners Complaints Committee (1995) 15 WAR 198 De Pardo v Legal Practitioners Complaints Committee [2000] FCA 335 Evatt v New South Wales Bar Association (1968) 117 CLR 177 Franconi v Legal Practitioners Complaints Committee [2001] WASCA 431 Re Law Society of the Australian Capital Territory and Roche (2002) 171 FLR 138 Law Society of New South Wales v. Foreman (1994) 34 NSWLR 408 CASES CITED: Law Society of New South Wales v Veghelyi [1991] 7 LPDR 13 Legal Practitioners Conduct Board v Hannaford (2002) 83 SASR 277 Re a Legal Practitioner of the Supreme Court of Western Australia, Unreported, Supreme Court of Western Australia, 12 February 1997 (BC9700434) Re Maraj (a Legal Practitioner) (1995) 15 WAR 12 New South Wales Bar Association v Cummins [2001] NSWCA 284 In re a Practitioner (1984) 36 SASR 590 Veghelyi v. The Law Society of New South Wales, Unreported, Court of Appeal, NSW, 6 October 1995 (BC950549) Re Veron; Ex parte Law Society of New South Wales (1966) 84 WN (Pt 1) (NSW) 136 APPLICANT P Menzies QC and M T McCulloch, counsel REPRESENTATION: RESPONDENT Days 1-5: M Williams SC Days 6 and 7: T Anderson, counsel ORDERS: 1 Declare that the Respondent is guilty of professional misconduct; 2 Order that the name of the Respondent be removed from the roll of legal practitioners; 3 Order that the Respondent pay the Informant's costs of these proceedings