Law Society of B.C. reverses member’s suspension, orders $5,000 fine

100 MILE HOUSE, B.C. – The society that regulates lawyers in British Columbia has reversed a decision to suspend a member for professional misconduct.

The Law Society of B.C. handed 100 Mile House lawyer Douglas Dent a 45-day suspension in January 2014.

It reported at the time that Dent admitted he used $2,000 he was holding in trust to recover legal fees and disbursements from his client.

The money was supposed to be forwarded to the client’s spouse but Dent withdrew it from the trust account without consent to be compensated for his work.

In addition to transferring the money from the account, Dent asked for another $2,000 from his client to settle what he owed to the spouse in equalization payments.

The society’s review board says Dent’s action was professional misconduct, but it notes he owned up to what he called an honest mistake and fined him $5,000 plus the cost of the hearing. (CFJC)