Lawyer ashamed of 'obscenity'

Disgraced lawyer Michael Guest says he is ashamed of the "obscenity" that led to him being struck off and says it will never happen again.

Mr Guest's application to be reinstated as a barrister and solicitor is being heard in Dunedin by the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal.

Mr Guest, a Dunedin city councillor a former district court judge, was struck off in December 2001 for two counts of professional misconduct involving lying to a client when he told her she had been declined legal aid, and taking $25,000 more of her funds for his costs than he was entitled to.

The New Zealand Law Society opposes Mr Guest's reinstatement application.

At yesterday's hearing Mr Guest produced 177 letters of support for his reinstatement, The Otago Daily Times reported.

They included one from Dunedin Mayor and former president of the Otago District Law Society, Peter Chin, who had "no objection" to Mr Guest being reinstated.

Mr Guest said he had put his interests ahead of his client's, "That was the obscenity that led to me to being struck off."

He was ashamed of the circumstances of his wrongdoing and would never allow it to happen again, he said.

Mr Guest said his almost 30-year legal career had seen him represent 10,000 clients and only three of the 17 letters opposing his reinstatement came from former clients.

Mr Guest had been elected twice to the city council. "The people of Dunedin knew I had been struck off."

Mr Guest defended David Bain at his first trial in 1995.

- NZPA