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Update on Disciplinary Tribunal matter - 17 July 2026

Date posted:

In October 2022, I laid a charge of professional misconduct against a legal practitioner, Enzo Belperio, in which I alleged that the practitioner had, amongst other things, engaged in inappropriate and uninvited physical and sexual contact with a junior solicitor; and had used his professional relationship with that junior solicitor and her employer to enable him to engage in physical and/or sexual contact without the junior solicitor's consent.

Today, the Tribunal found those allegations to be true, and that the practitioner engaged in misconduct that would justify a finding that he is not a fit and proper person to practice the profession of law.

There remains a further step in that the Tribunal must now determine the appropriate disciplinary action and, of course, there is a period of one month within which the practitioner may appeal to the Supreme Court, should he so choose. 

This is a landmark decision for the South Australian legal profession, and for the Australian legal profession.  It has taken more than six years to reach this point.  Those six years have demonstrated that the professional disciplinary system for legal practitioners can work.  In this instance it worked because of the bravery of the junior solicitor in coming forward and her tenacity in persisting with the drawn out process of the last six years.  I thank her for her bravery and tenacity and I thank the staff of my office and the legal team that achieved this result.

I would again like to encourage everyone working in the legal profession who is experiencing or witnessing bullying, discrimination or harassment to come forward and to make a complaint to me.  Alternatively, I can be contacted through the anonymous reporting portal Speak Safely.  You can be assured that I and my staff will take your complaints seriously and take action as appropriate and available under the legislation.

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