NSW Bar Association v Meakes [2006] NSWCA 340

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION: NSW Bar Association v Meakes [2006] NSWCA 340

HEARING DATE(S): 12 September 2006

JUDGMENT DATE: 6 December 2006

JUDGMENT OF: Tobias JA at 1; Bryson JA at 97; Basten JA at 98

DECISION: (a) Appeal allowed; (b) Set aside the orders made by the Administrative Decisions Tribunal on 8 March 2006; (c) The respondent be found guilty of professional misconduct with respect to the first ground of complaint made in the Information filed with the Tribunal on 3 June 2005 and guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct with respect to the second ground of complaint contained in the said Information; (d) The respondent be publicly reprimanded; (e) The respondent to pay the costs of the appellant of and incidental to the proceedings before the Tribunal; (f) The respondent to pay the costs of the appellant of the appeal

CATCHWORDS: LEGAL PROFESSION – conduct of barrister – overcharging – failure to conform with provisions of the Legal Profession Act 1987 – appropriate penalty – whether conduct amounted to professional misconduct or unsatisfactory professional misconduct – whether a fine should be imposed – principles – PROCEDURE – right of appeal – jurisdiction of Court of Appeal – interaction between Legal Profession Act 1987 and Legal Profession Act 2004

Acts Interpretation Act 1901 (Cth), s 8 Interpretation Act 1987, s 30 LEGISLATION CITED: Legal Profession Act 1987, ss 127, 171C, 171F, pt 10 Legal Profession Amendment Act 2004 Legal Professional Act 2004, ss 562, 729A Supreme Court Act 1970, s 75A

Allinson v General Council of Medical Education and Registration [1894] 1 QB 750 Clyne v New South Wales Bar Association (1960) 104 CLR 186 Coe v NSW Bar Association [2000] NSWCA 13 D'Alessandro v Legal Practitioners Complaints Committee (1995) 15 WAR 198 De Pardo v Legal Practitioners Complaints Committee [2000] FCA 335 Esber v The Commonwealth (1992) 174 CLR 430 Evatt v Bar Association of New South Wales (1968) 117 CLR 177 Ex parte Macaulay (1930) 30 SR (NSW) 193 Health Care Complaints Commission v A Medical Practitioner (2001) NSWCA 158 Incorporated Law Institute of New South Wales v Meagher (1909) 9 CLR 655 CASES CITED: Jones v Dunkel (1959) 101 CLR 298 Law Society of New South Wales v Bannister (Unreported, Court of Appeal, 27 August 1993) Law Society of New South Wales v Bannister (1993) 4 LPDR 24 Law Society of New South Wales v Foreman (1994) 34 NSWLR 408 The Legal Services Commissioner v Nikolaidis (No 2) [2004] NSWADT 248 New South Wales Bar Association v Amor-Smith (2003) NSWADT 239 New South Wales Bar Association v Evatt (1968) 117 CLR 177 Payne v Parker [1976] 1 NSWLR 191 Re Hodgekiss (1962) 62 SR (NSW) 340 Re Veron; Ex parte Law Society of New South Wales (1966) 84 WN (Pt 1) (NSW) 136 Veghelyi v The Law Society of New South Wales (Unreported, Court of Appeal, 6 October 1995)