Peter James Morahan, a lawyer from Lower Hutt, will be suspended from practice as a barrister and solicitor from 4 December because of his misconduct.
The New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal found the lawyer guilty of breaching New Zealand’s rules of conduct and client care for lawyers over a number of years.
A long-standing relationship with a client made the lawyer overlook obligations to others, the tribunal said. He also allowed pleadings he knew were false or misleading to be filed and breached his obligations related to discovery, the
New Zealand Law Society said.
He was found guilty of two charges of negligence or incompetence. The tribunal deemed his conduct render him unfit to practice and brought the profession into disrepute.
The tribunal has also ordered Morahan to pay costs of $37,171.63 to the New Zealand Law Society. He was also ordered to refund the tribunal’s hearing costs, amounting to $12,272.
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