Murphy v The Bar Association of New South Wales [2001] NSWSC 1191

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Murphy v The Bar Association of New South Wales [2001] NSWSC 1191 CURRENT JURISDICTION: Civil FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 13589/01 HEARING DATE(S) : 10 - 13 December 2001 JUDGMENT DATE : 21 December 2001

PARTIES : Barry James Murphy (Plt) Bar Assocation of New South Wales (Def) JUDGMENT OF : McClellan J

COUNSEL : P Brereton SC (Pltf) P Garling SC/C Adamson (Def) SOLICITORS : Stewart Cuddy & Mockler (Plt) Hicksons (Def) CATCHWORDS : LEGAL PRACTITIONERS - professional discipline - where Bar Council cancelled the practitioner's practising certificate pursuant to s 38FE(1)(b) of the Legal Profession Act 1987 - appeal against Bar Council's decision to Supreme Court under s 38B(1) - hearing de novo in the original jurisdiction of the Court - where legal practitioner failed to make payments of income tax and additional tax and interest - where practitioner became bankrupt - whether act of bankruptcy committed in circumstances that show the practitioner is not a fit and proper person to hold a practising certificate - elements which inform the decision as to whether a practitioner is fit and proper - in the context of bankruptcy the test to be applied in determining fitness to practice is whether the indebtedness which led to the bankruptcy was brought about or associated with dishonest conduct by the barrister Legal Profession Act ss 5(1), 25(2), 27, 30, 32, 37, 38B, 38FA, 38FB, 38FC, 38FE, 38FH, 38FG, 127, 171 LEGISLATION CITED : Bankruptcy Act (Cth) s 188 Legal Profession Amendment (Notification) Regulation 2001, cl 69E NSW Bar Association v Cummins [2001] NSWCA 284 Ex Parte Evatt: Re New South Wales Bar Association (1969) 71 SR (NSW) 153 The Prothonotary of the Supreme Court of New South Wales v Ritchard (NSWCA 31 July 1987, unreported) Briginshaw v Briginshaw (1938) 60 CLR 336 G v H (1994) 181 CLR 387 Clyne v New South Wales Bar Association (1960) 104 CLR 186 NSW Bar Association v Hamman [1999] NSWCA 404 CASES CITED : Law Society of New South Wales v Bannister (1993) LPDR 24 Law Society of New South Wales v Foreman (1994) 34 NSWLR 408 Ex Parte Macaulay (1930) 30 SR (NSW) 193 Re Milte & Ors, Legal Practitioners (1991) 22 ATR 740 In the matter of Mahoney (Supreme Court of South Australia, 11 December 1996, unreported) Chamberlain v The Law Society of the Australian Capital Territory (1992) 43 FCR 148 New South Wales Bar Association v Somosi [2001] NSWCA 285 Ziems v The Prothonotary of the Supreme Court of NSW (1957) 97 CLR 279 Royal Brunei Airlines v Tan [1995] 2 AC 378 DECISION : See paras 177-184