Shalini Konanur

The Law Society alleged that the respondent lawyer engaged in professional misconduct by using his trust account to convert cryptocurrency to Canadian currency for three individuals without providing legal services, in breach of Rule 3.2-7.3 of the Rules of Professional Conduct.

The lawyer admitted the transactions occurred but argued they were inadvertent due to a platform-linked routing error.

The Tribunal found that the lawyer set up his cryptocurrency wallet to route withdrawals directly to his trust account and continued to use it despite knowing the destination, establishing professional misconduct.

The Tribunal dismissed the lawyer's motion to convert the proceeding to an invitation to attend and ordered a two-month suspension of his licence, along with a requirement to complete a practice management program.

The Law Society alleged that the respondent lawyer committed professional misconduct by falsifying a client's signature on appeal documents, improperly commissioning an affidavit in the client's absence, and filing documents without verifying their contents.

The respondent admitted to the misconduct in an Agreed Statement of Facts.

The Tribunal accepted a joint submission for a three-month suspension and $5,390 in costs, finding that the proposed penalty was consistent with jurisprudence and did not meet the high public interest threshold for rejection.

The Law Society brought a conduct application against the respondent lawyer for engaging in conduct unbecoming a licensee, following his criminal convictions in Colorado for distributing and possessing cocaine with intent to distribute.

The hearing proceeded on an agreed statement of facts and a joint submission on penalty.

The Tribunal found that the criminal convictions established conduct unbecoming.

Applying the test for joint submissions, the Tribunal accepted the proposed penalty of an eight-month suspension, noting the mitigating factors considered by the Colorado courts, including the lawyer's mental health and addiction struggles.

The Tribunal also granted a not public order over one document from the foreign court proceedings.