Suspension for BC lawyer who helped clients with ‘suspicious circumstances’

A BC lawyer who allowed clients linked to organized crime and money laundering to pass almost $8-million through his trust account has been suspended for six months.

According to an April 10 BC Law Society decision, Timothy Chi-Kwan Wan provided legal services in “objectively suspicious circumstances” without making inquiries into what his clients were doing.

“The Lawyer became involved in activity that he ought to have known assisted in or encouraged dishonesty, crime, or fraud,” the Law Society said.

Wan was working at Remedios & Company and had only been practicing law for a year when, in 2018, he got involved with several clients with links to organized crime.

The decision didn’t name the clients, but one sent Wan a news article about themselves, which connected them to a major police investigation involving money laundering and links to an organized crime group.

“Despite the article raising red flags for the lawyer, he took no further steps in relation to the allegations in the article,” the decision reads.

Months later, the BC Civil Forfeiture Office began proceedings accusing the client of money laundering and illegal gaming.

“(The client) laundered the proceeds of unlawful activity by commencing civil claims against various debtors and seeking or taking judgment by way of court order upon the promissory notes,” the decision reads.

The Law Society said this raised red flags, but Wan didn’t do anything.

One client’s father was an alleged “gangster” and “kingpin” of a Chinese crime cartel, but Wan made no inquiries about the source of $750,000 that passed through his trust account.

The Law Society said Wan committed professional misconduct on 11 files, as well as filing false or misleading affidavits in court, between 2018 and 2023.

When the Law Society began investigating, Wan failed to fully cooperate.

He provided false, misleading or incomplete statements on 10 separate occasions, failed to disclose material, and provided fabricated documents.

The Law Society said that of the almost $8-million that went through his trust account, Wan was paid $15,842 for legal services.

The decision said the Law Society’s investigation began in 2019, but there was a delay between 2021 and 2024.

Wan signed a consent agreement, admitted to his conduct and was given a six-month suspension.