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 is still in effect as at 1 July 2014) are on the Register. Some information isn't 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 Act and the Regulations were amended as from 30 July 2017 so that, in some cases, the Commissioner now has the discretion to remove information that he had previously included on the Register. However, he 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.

Lawyer name

Date of decision	Full name	Decision	Disciplinary action taken
2017	Fadi Semaan	Unprofessional Conduct	Struck off
Full name Fadi Semaan Date of birth 03 September 1983 Business address * Not currently practising Date(s) of admission 06 February 2012 Jurisdiction(s) of admission South Australia Home jurisdiction * South Australia Substance of Conduct Matter The Practitioner provided a falsified academic transcript to a law firm in order to obtain employment. Decision Unprofessional Conduct Date of decision 10 February 2017 Disciplinary action taken Struck off Notes Regulatory authority Supreme Court of South Australia Appeal Decision or order Link to published decision
2016	Alfonso Paul Strappazzon	Unprofessional Conduct & Professional Misconduct	Multiple Disciplinary Action
Full name Alfonso Paul Strappazzon Date of birth 31 October 1954 Business address * 15 Brougham Place, Alberton SA 5014 Date(s) of admission 03 April 1978 Jurisdiction(s) of admission South Australia Home jurisdiction * South Australia Substance of Conduct Matter Failure to prosecute client's claim, allowing it to become out of time, failure to communicate with client. Decision Unprofessional Conduct & Professional Misconduct Date of decision 20 December 2016 Disciplinary action taken Multiple Disciplinary Action Conditions on Practising Certificate Order to apologise Reprimand Notes Condition on Practising Certificate requiring Practitioner to undertake further education and training if he applies to renew or obtain a Practising Certificate at any time after 30 June 2017 Regulatory authority Legal Profession Conduct Commissioner Appeal Decision or order Decision not published
2016	Kathleen Anne Chambers	Professional Misconduct	Multiple Disciplinary Action
Full name Kathleen Anne Chambers Date of birth 22 May 1960 Business address * KC Lawyers, Unit 2, 196 Main Road, Blackwood SA 5051 Date(s) of admission 12 May 1994 Jurisdiction(s) of admission South Australia Home jurisdiction * South Australia Substance of Conduct Matter Failed to communicate with her client in a timely and professional fashion. Terminated her client's retainer without reasonable excuse. Failed to release her client's file to his new solicitor in a timely fashion. Failed to follow her client's instructions to file a Notice of Dispute with the Workers Compensation Tribunal. Made a false statement to her client's new solicitor that she did not hold any documents on behalf of her client, when she did. Decision Professional Misconduct Date of decision 07 December 2016 Disciplinary action taken Multiple Disciplinary Action Fine Order to apologise Refrain from doing something Reprimand Notes Fined $7,500.00. Ordered to apologise to client and client's new solicitor. Ordered to refrain from charging her client any legal costs in excess of what she could recover from ReturnToWork (SA). Regulatory authority Legal Profession Conduct Commissioner Appeal Decision or order Decision not published
2016	David Vahid Humphrey	Professional Misconduct	Multiple Disciplinary Action
Full name David Vahid Humphrey Date of birth 16 February 1962 Business address * Andersons Solicitors, Shop 7, Southgate Plaza Shopping Centre, 90-108 Sheriffs Road, MORPHETT VALE SA 5162 Date(s) of admission 16 December 2002, 01 November 1986 Jurisdiction(s) of admission Interstate South Australia Home jurisdiction * South Australia Substance of Conduct Matter The practitioner was the executor/trustee of a deceased estate. He had overcharged the estate nearly $20,000 for his legal work on the estate. The practitioner failed to reimburse that amount to the estate within a reasonable period from when he became aware of the overcharge. The practitioner intermixed monies in his own account with trust monies of the estate in breach of clause 21 of schedule 2 of the Legal Practitioners Act. The practitioner intentionally and/or recklessly misled the Commissioner by representing to the Commissioner that the practitioner had refunded that amount to the estate when he had not done so. Decision Professional Misconduct Date of decision 06 December 2016 Disciplinary action taken Multiple Disciplinary Action Enter into a Professional Mentoring Agreement Fine Reprimand Suspension of Practising Certificate Notes The practitioner was fined $10,000. The practitioner was ordered to enter into a Professional Mentoring Agreement. The practitioner's Practising Certificate was suspended for a period of 6 weeks, from 25 February 2017 to 8 April 2017. Regulatory authority Legal Profession Conduct Commissioner Appeal Decision or order Decision not published
2016	Sydney Gordon Maidment	Unprofessional Conduct	Multiple Disciplinary Action
Full name Sydney Gordon Maidment Date of birth 28 March 1940 Business address * 5 Clarke Street, Norwood SA 5067 Date(s) of admission 05 March 1963 Jurisdiction(s) of admission South Australia Home jurisdiction * South Australia Substance of Conduct Matter Grossly and inappropriately overcharged his client, in circumstances where he knew or ought to have known that his costs agreement was invalid, by charging more than Supreme Court Scale and by charging non-legal office expenses as legal costs. Decision Unprofessional Conduct Date of decision 30 November 2016 Disciplinary action taken Multiple Disciplinary Action Fine Order to apologise Refrain from doing something Reprimand Notes Fined $5,000.00. Ordered to apologise to his client. Ordered to refrain from including his service company or any non-legal entity in which he has a direct or indirect financial interest as a party in any costs and/or fees agreement between him and his clients. He also must not charge his clients costs for non-legal work by him or any related entity other than as a disbursement which has been authorised in writing by the client. Regulatory authority Legal Profession Conduct Commissioner Appeal Decision or order Decision not published