Law society wins appeal to have Waikato lawyer struck off

The Court of Appeal has ruled against a Waikato lawyer who had won a lower-court appeal against being struck off.

William Raymond Harris - whose office of Harris Law was based in Cambridge - had been before the New Zealand Law Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal on a number of charges related to transactions involving clients, amounting to misconduct.

The tribunal ordered that his name be struck off the roll of barristers and solicitors. Harris appealed to the High Court.

The court found the order for striking off was disproportionately severe and instead suspended him from practice for 2 years from November 26, 2003 - the date of the tribunal's decision.

It also prohibited him from practising on his own account unless authorised by the tribunal.

The Waikato and Bay of Plenty Law Society appealed against the decision and asked that the original penalty be reinstated.

The Court of Appeal found the tribunal had taken into account the lack of dishonesty by Harris when it had reached its decision. But there was no doubt he had fallen well below the required standards of "integrity, probity and trustworthiness", it said.

The court also found the tribunal had been fully entitled to take the position that there was no room in the legal profession for those who allowed themselves to be enticed into playing a part in schemes which were "sharp dealing".

- NZPA