Lawyer struck off register

Press, 1 June 1988, Page 8

Lawyer struck off register

PA Wellington An Invercargill solicitor, Warren Geoffrey Broughton, has been struck off the legal register after being found guilty by the Law Society Disciplinary Tribunal of professional misconduct. The tribunal’s chairman, Mr Ted Thomas, 6 C, also ordered costs of $17,914 to-be paid by Broughton. Mr John McGrath appeared for Broughton. Counsel for the Southland District Law Society, which brought the charges, was Mr Warwick Gendall. . . ... . • • One charge related to Broughton’s failure to act on a threat to wind up a client company.. Mr Thomas said that while this may have oc : curfcdwithout Brough-, taSF omission, it was

clear he did not act and the consequences flowed from this. On another charge Broughton was found guilty of breaching the Law Society code of ethics by failing to notify clients of his personal interest in a transaction. He also did not advise those clients of their right to seek another lawyer or obtain their consent to continue acting for them. Other charges included misleading a colleague by saying an agreement for, sale and purchase had been signed when it had not, unacceptable delay in administration of an estate, delay in registering security documents, transferring money held in trust without providing security for clients, and fallowing a trust account to pbe overdrawn.