A Surrey lawyer has been suspended from practising for two months following charges related to a June 2018 domestic altercation.
In a news release issued Tuesday (June 22) morning, The Law Society of B.C. advises that the penalty was imposed on Narinder Pal Singh Kang, QC after he reported to the society that he had been handed a six-month common-law peace bond in connection with assault and mischief charges.
“He reported the criminal charge to the Law Society and admitted that his actions constituted conduct unbecoming the profession,” the release states.
“In determining the disciplinary action, the panel considered the serious nature of intimate partner violence, as well as character reference letters provided by Kang, his acknowledgement of his actions and remorse, and the range of penalties in similar cases.”
READ MORE: Surrey lawyer suspended for professional misconduct
A discipline committee authorized a citation against Kang containing five allegations in January 2020. The Law Society pursued one of the five allegations; that which led to the peace bond in November 2018.
According to written reasons of the hearing panel, Kang “has conditionally admitted… that he committed acts against his spouse on June 15, 2018 that led to the imposition of a common law peace bond.”
At the conclusion of the criminal hearing, Crown directed a stay of proceedings on the charges, the reasons note.
However, the panel’s role is “not to determine whether a criminal offence occurred,” the reasons continue.
“Rather, it is to determine whether conduct unbecoming the profession occurred.”
According to the reasons, the charges against Kang followed an incident in which his spouse was forcefully grabbed by the arms and legs and struck in the back of the head “two or three times.”
The panel “has no hesitation” in finding intimate partner violence unbecoming the profession, the reasons state.
The reasons note that the panel was “impressed by the breadth of the Respondent’s contribution to the profession and society broadly,” which includes a devotion to pro bono work, mentorship and various social causes.
“That said, this Panel notes that intimate partner violence occurs in the private sphere and may be perpetrated by persons who have excelled in their public lives.”
In addition to the suspension, the law society panel ordered Kang – who was admitted to the bar in May 1991 and is principal of his own firm, Kang and Company – to pay costs of $1,000.
The suspension takes effect July 1.
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