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.
