A 100 Mile House lawyer recently had a pending suspension dropped.
Doug Dent was handed a 45-day suspension for professional misconduct in January 2014 from the Law Society of BC, which regulates lawyers in the province.
Upon review, the society reversed its disciplinary action. Instead, Dent is ordered to pay a $5,000 fine, and pay for the cost of the hearing.
He was originally cited for professional misconduct in February 2013 for mishandling a client’s funds during a matrimonial dispute, using $2,000 held in trust to pay his own fees. Dent also requested an additional $2,000 from his client to settle what was owed to the spouse in equalization payments.
In its decision, the review board states his actions were a departure from the conduct the public expects of lawyers. However, the review board also notes the local lawyer believed he was honestly entitled to transfer the funds.
According to the review board, “[Dent] was wrong but he was not dishonest.”
Dent says he’s happy with the outcome.
“It’s really what I expected at the outset. We appealed and basically, they said, ‘Yes, you were right to appeal; the original decision was wrong’.”
