Suspension for Kamloops lawyer who worked while suspended

A Kamloops lawyer who was suspended five times in less than 18 months has been suspended for three more months for working while being suspended.

Veteran lawyer Nickolaus Harold MacDonald Weiser is also on the hook for $11,384 from the Law Society.

According to a July 25 Law Society of BC decision, Weiser also repeatedly ignored the regulator during its investigation into the complaint.

The Law Society says Weiser has a "repetitive pattern" of failing to respond promptly to the Law Society.

"(Weiser) received five administrative suspensions over a 15-month period in 2021 and 2022 for failures to respond to the Law Society," the decision says.

The Law Society says he continued to work through one suspension in March 2021, which it deemed professional misconduct.

READ MORE: BC lawyer used trust account for $1.6M in 'suspicious circumstances'

The Law Society says the repetitive nature of Weiser's conduct couldn't be overlooked.

The veteran lawyer, who began practicing in 1984, is also facing numerous allegations of wrongdoing that the Law Society is pursuing.

In June 2022, the Law Society accused him of using his trust account to disguise almost $200,000 from an unlicenced cannabis business. The results from a hearing on the matter have not yet been released.

Earlier this year, the lawyer was found to have committed professional misconduct by acting in a conflict of interest with several clients dating back to 2009. Penalties are set to be decided in September.

In May, the Law Society issued another citation saying Weiser had failed to comply with an order from last December. It's unclear what that order was and no hearing into the matter has yet been set.

READ MORE: BC lawyer used burner phones, accepted $31M from fraudsters

In the current matter, Weiser has until Aug. 1 to pay his  $11,384 bill from the regulator and his suspension will begin Sept. 25.

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