Solicitor Clifton Wong Guilty of Professional Misconduct (黃澤林律師專業失當罪成)

事務律師黃澤林專業失當罪成 (Lawyer Clifton Wong Guilty of Professional Misconduct)

Findings and order:
27 May 2011

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal found the following complaint against the Respondent Solicitor Clifton Wong proved on his own admission:

Breach of Principle 14.02 of the Hong Kong Solicitors’ Guide to Professional Conduct Vol 1, 2nd Edition in that the Respondent, being a partner of Messrs Li, Wong, Lam & WI Cheung and the solicitor-in-charge of a conveyancing transaction, failed to honour the undertaking to send to the vendor’s solicitors the conveyancing documents as stated in the letter from the vendors’ solicitors dated 29 September 2009 within the stipulated time which was imposed on him in the said letter.

The Tribunal, having considered: (i) that the Respondent had expressed no remorse in his breach of the undertaking and a heavy fine may not change his attitude in honouring undertakings; and (ii) his admission of the charge and his plea of mitigation, ordered that:

1. the Respondent be censured;
2. the Respondent be fined HK$20,000.00;
3. with effect from 2 July 2011, the Respondent’s practice as a solicitor be subject to the following conditions for two years:
   1. that he cannot practise as a sole proprietor or partner of a solicitors firm; and
   2. that his practice as a solicitor be subject to the supervision of a full-time solicitor of no less than 15 years’ standing and also of good standing.
4. the Respondent pay the costs of these proceedings, including the costs of the Clerk and the Law Society in investigating into the matter, such costs to be taxed, if not agreed, on a party-and-party basis.

 

(Source 1: http://www.hk-lawyer.org/en/article.asp?articleid=430&c=121)

(Source 2: http://www.hk-lawyer.org/tc/article.asp?articleid=430&c=121)