Discipline Decisions

In the interest of public awareness, the following are summaries of hearing decisions made through the complaints process of the Law Society.  For more information on the complaints process, see Filing a Complaint.

THE DISCIPLINE/INQUIRY PROCESS

The Law Society is responsible for governing the legal profession in the public interest according to Northwest Territories law and the Law Society’s rules, regulations and guidelines, as well as the CBA’s Code of Professional Conduct. This responsibility includes the investigation of complaints regarding the conduct of lawyers practicing in this territory.

When warranted, formal complaints that have been investigated may be forwarded to a Sole Inquirer or a Committee of Inquiry. The complaint (or “case”) then proceeds to a hearing where the Sole Inquirer (or Committee of Inquiry) call on the accused member (and/or their counsel), counsel for the Law Society of the NWT (on behalf of the complainant) to testify and provide evidence. At the end of a hearing, the Inquirer(s) state(s) a decision or judgement on the matter and any resulting penalties.

Decisions made by Sole Inquirers or Committees of Inquiry are publicly available. You can find full decisions of all complaints brought forward at a hearing on theCanLII website (www.canlii.org).