Disciplinary Register
The Register of Disciplinary Action contains information about lawyers who have been disciplined
Disciplinary action may be taken by the Legal Profession Conduct Commissioner, the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal, the Supreme Court or in some cases, by their interstate equivalents.
Below you can search the Register by lawyer’s name and/or the disciplinary action taken, or view the entire Register.
A finding of Professional Misconduct, whether made by the Commissioner, the Tribunal or the Supreme Court, must be published on the Register.
A less serious finding of Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct may be included on the Register, at the discretion of the Commissioner.
Not all lawyers subject to disciplinary action prior to 1 July 2014 are listed on the Register. Only lawyers who have been struck-off (ie removed from practice), suspended from practice or placed under supervision for a period of time (and which was in effect as at 1 July 2014) are on the Register. Some information is not on the Register for older disciplinary actions.
Lawyers found guilty of misconduct in other jurisdictions may have their details published on an interstate disciplinary action register.
If a finding that is entered on the Register is appealed, then the fact of the appeal will also be noted on the Register. If the appeal, or indeed any review:
- results in the finding being quashed, then any reference to that disciplinary action must be removed from the Register;
- results in the finding being otherwise varied, then the Register will be amended appropriately.
The Commissioner has a discretion to remove information that was previously included on the Register. They can only do so where the information relates to relatively minor misconduct, and only if it has been at least 2 years since the later of:
- the inclusion of the information on the Register; and
- the fulfilment of the order or requirement to which the information relates.
Disclaimer: The Commissioner is required to maintain the Register of Disciplinary Action in accordance with the Act, Section 89C. While all reasonable care is taken to make sure the information on the Register is correct and up-to-date, the Commissioner is not liable for any loss or damage that may result from reliance on the Register or from any error or deficiency in the Register. The Commissioner also has certain specific protections from liability under section 89F of the Act.
| Date of decision | Full name | Decision | Disciplinary action taken | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Paul Ignatius Boylan | Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct | Multiple Disciplinary Action | |
|
Full name
Paul Ignatius Boylan
Business address *
138 Florence Street, Port Pirie SA 5540
Date(s) of admission
07 February 1978
Jurisdiction(s) of admission
Home jurisdiction *
South Australia
Substance of Conduct Matter
In 2018, the Practitioner breached his fundamental duties to act in his client’s best interests in breach of ASCR 4.1.1 and failed to avoid any compromise to his integrity and professional independence in breach of ASCR4.1.4, in that he failed to:
1. take instructions from the client alone and free from family influences;
2. take appropriate steps to assess the client’s testamentary capacity to make his last Will;
3. keep detailed contemporaneous file notes of attendances on the client and instructions provided; and
4. failed to give the client a copy of his last Will in advance of the day it was signed and did not read it to the client or otherwise confirm the contents nor did he confirm whether the client had read the last Will himself before signing it.
The client was a member of the Practitioner’s extended family and the Practitioner failed to appreciate that family member clients are entitled to expect the same high standards as any other client.
Decision
Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct
Date of decision
10 June 2026
Disciplinary action taken
Notes
Fine amount $4,000.00
Regulatory authority
Legal Profession Conduct Commissioner
Appeal
Decision or order
Decision not published
|
||||
| 2026 | William David Owen | Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct | Multiple Disciplinary Action | |
|
Full name
William David Owen
Business address *
135 Fullarton Road, Rose Park SA 5067
Date(s) of admission
11 July 2011
Jurisdiction(s) of admission
Home jurisdiction *
South Australia
Substance of Conduct Matter
The Practitioner, being the person solely responsible for the legal obligations of TF Owen & Co (Firm), failed to have the Firm’s trust account records externally examined as soon as practicable after the end of the 2024-2025 financial year, in breach of his obligations under Schedule 2, clause 34 of the Legal Practitioners Act 1981.
Decision
Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct
Date of decision
29 May 2026
Disciplinary action taken
Notes
Fine amount $3,000.00.
Regulatory authority
Legal Profession Conduct Commissioner
Appeal
Decision or order
Decision not published
|
||||
| 2026 | William David Owen | Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct | Multiple Disciplinary Action | |
|
Full name
William David Owen
Business address *
135 Fullarton Road, Rose Park SA 5067
Date(s) of admission
11 July 2011
Jurisdiction(s) of admission
Home jurisdiction *
South Australia
Substance of Conduct Matter
In July 2025, the Practitioner deposited client settlement money, being trust money as defined in Schedule 2, clause 1 of the Legal Practitioner’s Act 1981 (Act), into the firm’s office account rather than the firm’s general trust account, in breach of:
- Schedule 2, clause 12 of the Act; and
- his obligations in relation to receipting, paying and otherwise handling of trust money as prescribed by the Legal Practitioners Regulations 2014
Decision
Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct
Date of decision
29 May 2026
Disciplinary action taken
Notes
The conditions to be imposed on the Practitioner’s Practising Certificate:
1. undertake the on demand courses provided by the Law Society, Trust Accounting I and Trust Accounting II by 31 July 2026, or such other date as agreed by the Commissioner; and
2. if he is responsible for trust money, then retain an external trust account manager, approved by the Commissioner, to manage the Firm’s trust account for (3) years at the Practitioner’s own cost.
Regulatory authority
Legal Profession Conduct Commissioner
Appeal
Decision or order
Decision not published
|
||||
| 2026 | Darren Paul Kruse | Unsatisfactory professional conduct | Multiple Disciplinary Action | |
|
Full name
Darren Paul Kruse
Business address *
20 Coromandel Parade, Blackwood SA 5051
Date(s) of admission
14 July 2008
Jurisdiction(s) of admission
Home jurisdiction *
South Australia
Substance of Conduct Matter
On 5 March 2021, the Practitioner “certified” a copy of a will as a “true copy” when he was not in possession of the original will and he had not signed the original will for at least two months, if ever.
Decision
Unsatisfactory professional conduct
Date of decision
27 April 2026
Disciplinary action taken
Notes
Fine amount $3,000.00.
Regulatory authority
Legal Profession Conduct Commissioner
Appeal
Decision or order
Decision not published
|
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| 2026 | Darren Paul Kruse | Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct | Multiple Disciplinary Action | |
|
Full name
Darren Paul Kruse
Business address *
20 Coromandel Parade, Blackwood SA 5051
Date(s) of admission
14 July 2008
Jurisdiction(s) of admission
Home jurisdiction *
South Australia
Substance of Conduct Matter
Between February 2021 and March 2022, the Practitioner failed to act on client instructions and respond to client correspondence, in breach of the following South Australian Legal Practitioners Conduct Rules:
• to act in the best interest of a client, pursuant to rule 4.1.1;
• to deliver services competently, diligently and as promptly as reasonably possible, pursuant to rule 4.1.3;
• to provide a client with clear and timely advice, pursuant to rule 7.1; and
• to follow a client’s lawful, proper and competent instructions rule 8.1.
Decision
Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct
Date of decision
24 April 2026
Disciplinary action taken
Notes
Fine amount $3,000.00
Regulatory authority
Legal Profession Conduct Commissioner
Appeal
Decision or order
Decision not published
|
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