Legal practice and ethics

516 Pages·2015·3.155 MB·English

by  Marlene Rita Ebejer, CCH Australia Limited,

LexisNexis
Questions and Answers
Legal Practice
and Ethics
2nd edition
Marlene Ebejer
Accredited Specialist Family Lawyer
Masters in Applied Family Law (College of Law)
LLB (Mon), BA Multicultural Studies (RMIT)
Post Graduate Vocational Education and Training (Melb)
Lecturer, School of Law, Deakin University
Barrister and Solicitor, Supreme Court of Victoria
and High Court of Australia
LexisNexis Butterworths
Australia
2016
LexisNexis
AUSTRALIA LexisNexis Butterworths
475–495 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood NSW
2067
On the internet at: www.lexisnexis.com.au
ARGENTINA LexisNexis Argentina, BUENOS AIRES
AUSTRIA LexisNexis Verlag ARD Orac GmbH & Co
KG, VIENNA
BRAZIL LexisNexis Latin America, SAO PAULO
CANADA LexisNexis Canada, Markham, ONTARIO
CHILE LexisNexis Chile, SANTIAGO
CHINA LexisNexis China, BEIJING, SHANGHAI
CZECH REPUBLIC Nakladatelství Orac sro, PRAGUE
FRANCE LexisNexis SA, PARIS
GERMANY LexisNexis Germany, FRANKFURT
HONG KONG LexisNexis Hong Kong, HONG KONG
HUNGARY HVG-Orac, BUDAPEST
INDIA LexisNexis, NEW DELHI
ITALY Dott A Giuffrè Editore SpA, MILAN
JAPAN LexisNexis Japan KK, TOKYO
KOREA LexisNexis, SEOUL
MALAYSIA LexisNexis Malaysia Sdn Bhd, PETALING JAYA,
SELANGOR
NEW ZEALAND LexisNexis, WELLINGTON
POLAND Wydawnictwo Prawnicze LexisNexis, WARSAW
SINGAPORE LexisNexis, SINGAPORE
SOUTH AFRICA LexisNexis Butterworths, DURBAN
SWITZERLAND Staempfli Verlag AG, BERNE
TAIWAN LexisNexis, TAIWAN
UNITED KINGDOM LexisNexis UK, LONDON, EDINBURGH
USA LexisNexis Group, New York, NEW YORK
LexisNexis, Miamisburg, OHIO
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
Author: Ebejer, Marlene Rita.
Title: Legal practice and ethics.
Edition: 2nd edition.
ISBN: 9780409342246 (pbk)
9780409342253 (ebk).
Series: LexisNexis Questions and Answers.
Notes: Includes index.
Subjects: Legal ethics — Problems, exercises, etc.
Dewey Number: 340.023.
© 2016 Reed International Books Australia Pty Limited trading as
LexisNexis.
1st edition, 2013.
This book is copyright. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968
(Cth), no part of this publication may be reproduced by any process,
electronic or otherwise, without the specific written permission of the
copyright owner. Neither may information be stored electronically in any
form whatsoever without such permission.
Inquiries should be addressed to the publishers.
Typeset in Sabon and Optima.
Printed in China.
Visit LexisNexis Butterworths at www.lexisnexis.com.au
Preface
Legal ethics is taught as a mandatory unit in universities throughout
Australia. Although this book is designed to be used by students
enrolled in a Bachelor of Laws, it is a book that may be used and
reflected upon throughout legal practice. Upon admission, Australian
lawyers become officers of the court and must maintain a high standard
of professionalism to ensure the smooth running of the administration
of justice, which encourages public confidence in the legal profession.
This book aims to challenge students and lawyers to think critically
about the way in which they will or do practise law. It is intended to be
a guide on the various obligations and duties that a lawyer owes to the
court, other lawyers, clients and the community in general. The hope is
that students of law will see the ongoing value of maintaining the
integrity of the legal profession and the value that lawyers provide to
the community when we get things right.
The Legal Profession Uniform Law Act has been adopted by New
South Wales and Victoria, bringing us closer to national regulation, but
Australia continues to have seven different regulatory frameworks.
South Australia has amended its Legal Practice Act 1981 to include
Sections similar to those in the Uniform Law Act, but the debate about
national regulation continues. This book therefore provides the reader
with the legislation, regulations and professional conduct rules of each
state and territory. Many of the cases in this book have been included to
demonstrate the breadth of conduct that is unacceptable and is referred
to as either unsatisfactory professional conduct or professional
misconduct across the jurisdictions.
Sincere gratitude must be given to Jocelyn Holmes, Academic
Commissioning Editor, LexisNexis Butterworths Australia, who
supported me throughout the process of creating this second edition.
Marlene Ebejer
Deakin University
June 2015
Table of Cases
References are to paragraph numbers
A
A Solicitor, Re [1960] VR 617 …. 7-22, 7-58, 7-71
A Solicitor, In re; Ex p Bell (1960) 78 WN (NSW) 526 …. 4-113
A Solicitor v Council of the Law Society of New South Wales (2004)
216 CLR 253; [2004] HCA 1 …. 7-28
AJG, Re [2004] QCA 88 …. 2-23
Allinson v General Council of Medical Education and Registration
[1894] 1 QB 750 …. 7-22, 7-58, 7-71
Allison v Tuna Tasmania Pty Ltd [2011] TASSC 52 …. 5-36
— v — [2012] TASSC 36 …. 5-36
Argy v Blunts & Lane Cove Real Estate Pty Ltd (1990) 26 FCR 112 ….
6-5
Arno v Forsyth (1986) 9 FCR 576 …. 4-102, 4-158
Arthur J S Hall and Co (a firm) v Simons [2002] 1 AC 615; [2000]
UKHL 38 …. 5-47
Ashby v Commonwealth of Australia (No 4) (includes Corrigendum
dated 28 May 2013) [2012] FCA 1411 …. 5-25
Asia Pacific Telecommunications Ltd v Optus Networks Pty Ltd [2005]
NSWSC 550 …. 4-72, 4-137
Astley v Austrust Ltd (1999) 197 CLR 1 …. 3-9, 3-84, 4-114, 4-123
Australian Broadcasting Tribunal v Bond (Bond Media case) (1990)
170 CLR 321 …. 2-17, 2-74
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) v
Maritime Union of Australia (2001) 114 FCR 472 …. 6-71
B
B, Re [1981] NSWLR 372 …. 2-44, 2-45, 2-74
Baker v Legal Services Commissioner [2006] 2 Qd R 249; [2006] QCA
145 …. 7-49
Bar Association (Qld) v Lamb (1972) 45 ALJR 71 …. 4-50
Barratt v Gough-Thomas [1950] 2 All ER 1048 …. 3-53
A Barrister, Re [2012] FMCAfam 823 …. 5-5
Bechara v Legal Services Commissioner (2010) 79 NSWLR 763; [2010]
NSWCA 369 …. 6-5
Beevis v Dawson [1957] 1 QB 195 …. 5-5
Bell, Re [2005] QCA 151 …. 2-32
Bennett v Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Customs Service
(2003) 77 ALD 375; [2003] FCA 53 …. 4-95
Bhanabhai and Burgess v Commissioner of Inland Revenue [2007] 2
NZLR 478 …. 6-66
Biggar v McLeod [1978] 2 NZLR 9 …. 5-44
Birtles, Re [2002] 1 WLR 470 …. 4-45
Boardman v Phipps [1967] 2 AC 46; [1966] UKHL 2 …. 4-38
Boland v Yates Property Corp Pty Ltd (1999) 167 ALR 575 …. 4-120
British American Tobacco Australia Services Ltd v Cowell
(Representing the Estate of Rolah Ann McCabe, Deceased) (2003) 8
VR 571; [2003] VSCA 43 …. 5-29
Breen v Williams (1996) 186 CLR 71 …. 3-14, 4-27, 4-146
C
Chamberlain v Law Society of the Australian Capital Territory (1993)
118 ALR 54 …. 5-32
Chamberlains v Lai [2007] 2 NZLR 7; [2006] NZSC 70 …. 5-47
Citicorp Australia Ltd v O’Brien (1996) 40 NSWLR 398 …. 4-125
Clay v Karlson (1997) 17 WAR 493 …. 5-11
Clyne v New South Wales Bar Association (1960) 104 CLR 186 …. 5-
25, 7-46, 7-51, 7-61
Constantine Karageorge (No 12 of 1986) …. 6-40
Copeland v Smith [2000] 1 WLR 1371 …. 5-16
Council of the Law Society of New South Wales v Foreman (No 2)
(1994) 34 NSWLR 408 …. 2-50, 7-27
— v Narayanasamy [2015] NSWCATOD 82 …. 5-21
Council of the Queensland Law Society Inc v Roche [2004] 2 Qd R
574 …. 6-5
— v Wakeling [2004] QCA 42 …. 5-18
— v Wright [2001] QCA 58 …. 5-4, 5-51
Cousins v Cousins (unreported, CA (NSW), 18 December 1990) …. 4-
116
Credit Lyonnais SA v Russell Jones & Walker (a firm) [2003] Lloyd’s
Rep PN 7 …. 4-117
Crowley, Re [1999] WASCA 164 …. 7-43
Curnuck v Nitschke [2001] NSWCA 176 …. 3-10, 4-117, 4-145
D
D & J Constructions Pty Ltd v Head (1987) 9 NSWLR 118 …. 4-58, 4-
73, 4-136, 4-138
Daniels Corporation International Pty Ltd v Australian Competition
and Consumer Commission (2002) 213 CLR 543; [2002] HCA 49
…. 4-97, 4-157
Darvall McCutcheon (a firm) v HK Frost Holdings Pty Ltd (in liq)
(2002) 4 VR 570 …. 4-113