Kamloops lawyer with history of ignoring rules gets suspended again

A Kamloops lawyer was suspended from practice again after he was caught in multiple conflicts of interest.

Nickolaus Harold MacDonald Weiser was suspended for eight months after he acted on both sides of at least four separate loan agreements, something he's been caught doing multiple times in the past.

Along with the suspension, Weiser was ordered to pay more than $16,000 to the BC Law Society, according to a Feb. 23 decision.

A hearing panel found he acted in a conflict of interest four times, not only acting on both sides of a loan agreement but also having a financial stake in the lending company. He also "acted without integrity" by borrowing more than $300,000 from a client in an "improper" loan.

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There's no evidence he repaid that money, according to the decision.

"In making their decision, the hearing panel found that the conduct was egregious and deceptive, showed a continuous pattern of disregard by Weiser of his professional obligations and the interests of clients, and demonstrated a flagrant failure of his duty of integrity," a notice to the law society website reads.

The law society has taken action against Weiser for conflicts of interest, improper loans and professional misconduct several times since 2021, with at least five suspensions. The veteran lawyer, who has been practicing since 1984, has also been accused of practicing while suspended multiple times in the last three years.

"Weiser has a lengthy professional conduct record that shows a pattern of disregarding mandatory conflict rules and ignoring requests by the law society," according to the law society.

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In addition to his continued efforts to practice, a law society spokesperson told iNFOnews.ca last fall Weiser is also being investigated for breaking into his own office and taking equipment during a suspension.

He was ordered to pay the law society more than $11,000 in August 2023 for a previous investigation. He still has not paid that penalty.

Weiser has previously "misrepresented" evidence in law society disciplinary hearings, but he was not present at all during the most recent Nov. 20, 2023, hearing, according to the decision.

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