Author adminPosted on Categories Criminal law, Legal profession 2 Comments on Criminal solicitor struck off for series of bail breaches
In 2018, this blog reported that criminal lawyer Adam Raydon Magill from the firm Lawler Magill was one of a few lawyers charged with defrauding Legal Aid Queensland and laundering money for “serious and organised crime”.
Subsequently, he was granted bail on strict conditions on his own undertakings. Continue reading “Criminal solicitor struck off for series of bail breaches”
Author adminPosted on Categories Legal profession 2 Comments on Graeme Page KC’s bankruptcy led to loss of practicing certificate
In October this year, we were the first to report on the demise of the career of Graeme Page KC, who was caught appearing in Court representing clients without a practicing certificate on numerous occasions.
Since then, we have fielded numerous telephone enquiries from concerned members of the public who have been unfortunate enough to have dealings with Graeme Page. In order to placate the hunger of such concerned citizens, and by popular demand, we have taken it upon ourselves to report further.
Continue reading “Graeme Page KC’s bankruptcy led to loss of practicing certificate”
Author adminPosted on Categories Criminal law, Defamation, Legal profession Leave a comment on Debacle after Bruce Lehrmann charges dropped
Bruce Lehrmann, the former parliamentary political staffer who was accused of raping a colleague named Brittany Higgins at Parliament House has had all charges dropped again him.
This occurred after the trial had to be postponed because Lisa Wilkinson gave a speech at The Logie Awards, and when the trial finally took place, the jury had to be discharged because of juror misconduct.
Continue reading “Debacle after Bruce Lehrmann charges dropped”
Author adminPosted on Categories Legal profession 5 Comments on Chief Justice prohibits Graeme Page KC from practicing as a barrister
Former barrister Graeme Page’s career may have ended today after the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland ordered an injunction restraining him from engaging in legal practice.
The Legal Services Commission had brought an application in the Supreme Court just last Friday. This occurred after it became aware last week that, despite not holding a practising certificate, Page appeared in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia on a number of occasions between September 2022 and October 2022 when he was not entitled to do so.
Continue reading “Chief Justice prohibits Graeme Page KC from practicing as a barrister”
Author adminPosted on Categories Legal profession, litigation, Professional fees 2 Comments on The case law of lawyers bills in England, India, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong
For a very long time in Commonwealth legal systems, the legal profession has been regulated for the benefit of clients of lawyers and the public at large. Among other things, there has been a recognised public interest in protecting those liable to pay legal fees from overcharging by lawyers. One of those protections is and has been the legal requirement for a bill to be provided so that the client can seek advice on the fees and charges.
Continue reading “The case law of lawyers bills in England, India, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong”
Author adminPosted on Categories Criminal law, Legal profession Leave a comment on Douglas Winning refused High Court leave to appeal against corruption conviction
At about 1.00 am on Sunday 17 February 2019, police were patrolling in Rockhampton when they saw a car driving erratically and knocking over a street sign. They pulled the car over and found the driver was local solicitor Douglas “call me Doug” Winning.
A true man of style, Winning was wearing only a pair of shorts. His vehicle had sustained damage on the bonnet and a front tyre. When asked that he had been drinking, Winning nominated the amount as “a bottle of rum”, explaining that he had had a sleep since finishing it. He was slurring his words. He twice said “You’re not going to pinch me”.
Continue reading “Douglas Winning refused High Court leave to appeal against corruption conviction”
Author adminPosted on Categories Legal profession, Liberty, Professional discipline 2 Comments on British barrister beats woke Bar Standards Board
“The ethos of service and duty that used to underpin so many professions often seems to have been replaced with a claim to moral leadership by the better-educated.”
Head, hand & heart: The struggle for dignity and status in the 21st Century David Goodhart, 2020, Allen Lane, p17
In 2021, British barrister Jon Holbrook was investigated by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) over a series of social-media posts. 17 were thrown out. It decided that one of the 18 tweets in question constituted a breach of professional conduct.
Continue reading “British barrister beats woke Bar Standards Board”
Author adminPosted on Categories Criminal law, Legal profession, Professional discipline 1 Comment on Ipswich lawyer Cameron McKenzie struck off for extortion
Cameron McKenzie has been removed from the roll of lawyers after his conviction for extortion.
Extortion
In 15 January 2017, then Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale had a number of telephone calls with the complainant Xin Li falsely purporting to be a private investigator and demanding that the complainant pay a sum of money to Yutian Li, a woman the complainant had had a relationship with. Pisasale threatened to cause detriment to the complainant, including by having him subjected to court proceedings, being sued for $200,000, incurring costs of $20,000 in court, being subjected to the adverse publicity of court proceedings and being summoned to go to court.
Continue reading “Ipswich lawyer Cameron McKenzie struck off for extortion”
Author adminPosted on Categories Criminal law, Legal profession 4 Comments on Winning Winner Douglas Dinner loses corruption conviction appeal
At about 1.00 am on Sunday 17 February 2019, police were patrolling in Rockhampton when they saw a car driving erratically and knocking over a street sign. They pulled the car over and found the driver was Douglas “call me Doug” Winning, a local solicitor.
What transpired was recorded on the officer’s body-worn cameras. All class, Winning was wearing only a pair of shorts. His vehicle had sustained damage on the bonnet where the sign had hit and there was damage to a front tyre. When asked that he had been drinking, Winning nominated the amount as “a bottle of rum”, explaining that he had had a sleep since finishing it. He was slurring his words. He twice said “You’re not going to pinch me”.
One of the officers said she was going to administer a roadside breath test. Winning was in the car holding his passport and $300 in cash, made up of six $50 notes. At the conclusion of the roadside breath test, Winning lifted his hands. He put his passport down on the seat beside him, and held up his right hand with the notes in it, saying: “Can’t pay my way out this, can I?”.
Continue reading “Winning Winner Douglas Dinner loses corruption conviction appeal”
Author adminPosted on Categories Legal profession Leave a comment on Why your agreement should be in writing (video)
Having a written agreement ensures that there is no doubt or disagreement as to what the agreement was. This significantly reduces the risk of disputes later on. And the chances of a dispute arising when an important agreement is not reduced to writing are numerous.
It is a very good idea to see a solicitor to draft your agreement. The advantages of doing so are numerous:
1) Solicitors are good at drafting documents in a clear, concise and legally effective manner
2) Solicitors might be able to advise you which parts of the agreement may be void or unenforceable, and how the agreement can be amended to avoid such an outcome
3) Solicitors are able to think of issues that you may not have considered eg: how can the agreement be terminated? Should a provision be made for a renegotiation after a set period of time? Should timeframes be included to ensure the parties comply with their obligations in a timely manner? How will a key term of the agreement be defined? What happens if the agreement is breached? And so on.
4) Solicitors can insert ‘standard’ clauses in the agreement which strengthen and improve it.
If your agreement is important to you, getting a solicitor to draft it is the best decision you can make. Sterling Law can assist you with this.
