City lawyers in firing line

Few bad apples risk reputation

THE number of complaints made against Townsville solicitors surged 340 per cent in the last financial year.

More than 50 complaints were made in the 2019/2020 year, while only 12 were made in the previous financial year.

The Legal Services Commission annual report has revealed the 53 complaints made about Townsville solicitors make up a third of the total complaints made across the state.

It is the highest number of complaints made and on par with Brisbane city.

The second highest was the southern suburbs of Brisbane, where 28 complaints were made.

However, only seven legal practitioners were struck off the Queensland practitioners register, and none were based in Townsville.

This was a 22 per cent decrease in the number of lawyers removed on the last financial year. In total, the commission received 1160 complaints, of which 872 were dismissed.

The commission started 35 new prosecution matters, and started the last financial year with 36 already underway.

Thirty of the prosecution matters were finalised.

Legal Services Commissioner Megan Mahon said the vast majority of legal practitioners were “good, honest, ethical professionals” but there were a few who were not.

“Although the Commission receives a high volume of complaints each year, less than a quarter of those complaints progress to further investigation,” Ms Mahon said.

“And of those, only a small percentage proceed to prosecution.”

The commissioner said she was committed to working towards change for the ongoing personal conduct issues prevalent in the profession.

“The ongoing concern of particular conduct of individuals, which is thought to be prevalent in the profession, saw heightened publicity around matters of sexual harassment and illicit drug use, including convictions for serious offences,” Ms Mahon said.

“While personal conduct is the responsibility of each and every legal professional, as coregulators, I am committed to working with the BAQ (Bar Association Queensland) and the QLS (Queensland Law Society) in addressing these issues and encouraging cultural change within the profession,” she said.

“It is only through awareness and encouragement by the profession’s leaders, often by themselves setting the best example, that we will achieve positive change in the profession.

“Such change will not only result in protection of all those who work in the profession and the consumers of legal services, but also importantly safeguard the reputation of the profession itself.”