The appellant, a disbarred lawyer, appealed the Law Society's dismissal of his application for readmission.
The Law Society panels had found that the appellant met most criteria for readmission but failed to show he had purged his guilt and was extremely unlikely to re-offend, primarily because he continued to deny that he intentionally misappropriated funds.
The Divisional Court allowed the appeal, holding that the panels erred in law by effectively making an admission of guilt a precondition for reinstatement, contrary to established legal principles.
The Court ordered the appellant's readmission, remitting the matter to a Hearing Panel solely to determine appropriate conditions.
